


Ascent of the Crescent Moon

by Horatio_Jaxx



Series: The Olympic Coven Trilogy [2]
Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:21:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 21
Words: 71,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27658105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Horatio_Jaxx/pseuds/Horatio_Jaxx
Summary: Three years after "Crescent Moon" Renee Dwyer has come to an impasse in her personal life, Charlie Swan has come to a crossroad in his professional life and Nessie Cullen is a senior in high-school. She is also in love with a mortal, much to the notice of Renee. The Cullen family of vampires is, for the most part, indifferent to Nessie's fondness for a mortal. They are too busy dealing with their own worries. As the dominant vampire coven, they must decide to either put the family in harms way and check the actions of a powerful group of rogue vampires, or do nothing and watch as all hell breaks loose.
Relationships: Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Jacob Black/Renesmee Cullen, Renée Dwyer/Charlie Swan
Series: The Olympic Coven Trilogy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022376
Kudos: 3





	1. Dark Encounters

An icy gale whipped sporadically across the wide expanse of the nearly level plain. The rustling sound of brush, agitated by these winds, intermittently sounded from alternating swathes of nearby ground. A gray and black overcast sky was being partially illuminated by a moonlit night. Thick clouds rolled about overhead in all directions in a seemingly angry dance, concealing from view the vast open star filled space above it. The land below this was almost pitch-black by comparison. The dark of the night would have obscured nearly all of this terrain from the sight of mortal eyes, but for the travelers, here and now, this was not a problem.

Nine, darkly clad, figures raced one behind the other across the windswept plain. Their garments billowed violently behind them as they sprinted at a pace too fast to be the performance of humans. The male leading the way was of average height. He steered a straight line, deviating only to avoid brushes and large rocks. An hour later the group stopped and pooled together at the ridge of a broad shallow depression in the landscape. A lake, a quarter as large as the basin it was in, filled the center. The depression extended across an area greater than a half-hour's walk, at its narrowest point. The lake could easily be traversed within a quarter-hour at its widest point. The group scanned about the expanse as though they were looking for something or someone. A brief time into this study, the lead male fixed his attention on a point to the left of him and at the near-end of the lake. The other members of the group, one by one, redirected their attentions to this area.

"What's wrong?" Jane queried with annoyed concern.

"I lost them," Demetri answered back in a surprised tone.

"All of them?" Jane spoke back with incredulity.

"They should be here," Demetri insisted as he continued to stare at the spot where he expected them to be.

"They must have heard us coming," Felix blandly suggested.

"I'm sure they did," Demetri retorted heatedly. "We should still be seeing them. They were right there a few seconds before we arrived," he exclaimed with a point.

Standing there, upon the ridge, with Demetri, Jane and Felix were Alec, Renata, Peter, Efren, Maya and Gerard, all of the Volturi Coven.

“All of them couldn’t have just disappeared, Demetri,” Jane angrily responded. “Find them, now.”

Angered by the rebuke Demetri began to scan back and forth over the surrounding terrain.

“Well?” Jane challenged insistently.

“I’m not sensing anything, anywhere,” Demetri replied defensively. “I’m telling you they’ve disappeared, all of them.”

“That can’t be, Demetri,” Jane insisted with bated breath.

“I’m telling you that it is,” Demetri almost shouted.

Jane glared at Demetri in retaliation to his vehement response. An obvious expression of rage shortly curled up upon her face. Demetri instantly stiffened himself in anticipation of what he feared to come. The rest of the coven, minus Alec, inched back from the duo. A second of silence passed at seemingly the pace of a snail.

"Jane," Alec called out to catch her attention.

She turned to acknowledge Alec's call.

"This isn't helping," Alec continued in a slightly exasperated tone of voice.

An instant later, Jane turned away and sulked.

Immediately after the demise of Aro and Caius, Jane and Alec became the de facto dominant members of the Volturi Coven. The absence of the mind bending poison that their previous leaders were feeding them reconfigured the perception that the remaining members had towards one-another. The brainwashing that kept them tightly bound around their masters was gone. Without it they had only their relationships with each other to bind them together. For Jane and Alec, the value of a coven quickly took on a whole new significance. The thought of losing these allies made them feel isolated and vulnerable. Using their abilities to inflict pain or to do harm to one of their number had suddenly become an unthinkable act now that their relationship was dependent upon mutual respect and trust. There was no blood poisoning within them to keep them anchored to the coven.

“C’mon,” Alec spoke up insistently. “If they were here then we should be able to detect their scent.”

“They were here,” Demetri angrily retorted an instant before following Alec’s lead down into the basin.

The entire Volturi Coven raced down the depression towards the near end of the lake and stopped fifty yards from it. The group began to meander about as they sampled the smells emanating from the ground.

“I don’t smell them,” Gerard announced hesitantly.

“They were here.” Demetri rifled out angrily.

All eyes turned toward him.

"There were eight vampires in this vicinity recently," Demetri declared as he looked up to scan the area.

"You smell them?" Gerard questioned suspiciously.

"No," Renata answered softly as she slowly tested the scents around her.

The other members of the coven began to follow her lead, more so out of intrigue then belief.

"Do you smell them, Felix?" Jane questioned the six-foot-seven vampire pointedly.

"No," Felix responded gruffly. "We're the only vampires here."

"How about the rest of you...?" Jane quickly called out for a poll.

"No," Maya announced shortly.

"I don't smell them," Efren reported in turn.

"I'm not getting anything," Peter solemnly replied after Efren.

"There's nothing here," Gerard softly spoke after Peter while shaking his head back and forth.

Alec looked to Jane out the corner of his eyes and gestured no with a nod of his head. A second later Jane turned to look at Demetri suspiciously. Alec followed her lead.

"I'm telling you, I can feel them" Demetri roared as he continued to track the sensations that was radiating into his person.

Jane did not think to respond as she studied the only Volturi to claim to discern something she could neither see, nor smell.

"This can't be happening," Alec announced with a tinge of anger.

Demetri continued to slowly track forward as though he did not hear this remark. With each new step he moved closer to the lake. Jane, now ever more suspicious, began to back away from it with a look of anxiety about her face. Demetri suddenly took note that his course was taking him to the lake. Eagerly, he raced forward to the water's edge.

"You think they're in the water?" Jane angrily spoke out her query as she scanned across the water's surface. Suddenly, and much to her surprise, an eruption of water spewed up into the air from ten yards out upon the lake. Demetri studied this peculiar effect with great curiosity despite Jane's call to do otherwise.

"Demetri, look out."

Demetri heard the call, but ignored it as he watched the display with impunity. Despite whatever force, natural or unnatural, that was causing this strange event, in Demetri's mind it was nothing that he needed to react defensively to. He continued to watch, without concern, as the water flew straight up into the air. Two seconds into this observation he noted a few streams of water that appeared to be arcing on a trajectory directly towards him. An instant later, a sudden impact into his torso pounded him to the ground. Demetri was caught unaware by this and by the sudden appearance of the large male vampire on top of him. His assailant grasped him about his head, even as his body was slamming into the ground. Demetri's instinct to resist this attack was cut short by a quick, wrenching, force that twisted his head free from his spinal column and then tore it free from his body a second later.

The rest of the Volturi Coven saw nothing to frighten them at first. The sudden water display simply gave them reason to be cautious. Jane's warning scream, the sudden appearance of the enemy vampire, and Demetri's abrupt decapitation that followed shocked them onto their guard. Before anyone could think to say anything in response to this attack, seven more water eruptions simultaneously spewed into the air. Peter, Efren, Maya, Gerard, Felix, Alec and Jane instantly raced back, nearly one-hundred yards, from these invisible threats. Renata's first reaction was to employ her shield to repel the attacks.

Unlike the other members of the Volturi Coven, Renata's defensive instincts did not manifest itself with a physical posture. Her need to be mentally in control overruled her fight or flight reflex. What the others perceived to be an invisible threat that needed to be evaded, she perceived as a physical threat that needed to be repelled. Renata deftly directed her repellant shield towards the spray of water that was coming at her. Suddenly and very much to her surprise, she sensed nothing there to repel. An instant later something slammed into her and knocked her to the ground. Renata's composure was gone, and so was her shield. In the first few seconds of their fight Renata barely held her own. A second later she was outnumbered. Within that moment, she comprehended the error that she had made. Like a revelation that illuminated suddenly in her head, she understood that her coven reflexively darted away from, what was to them, an unseen enemy. Within that instant, she was overpowered by the combined might of eight vampires. The rest of her coven could do nothing but watch as she was dismembered. The kill was too quick. A second after the deed was done the eight enemy vampires vanished before their eyes.

"They're invisible," Felix yelled out to no one in particular.

"That can't be," Alec exclaimed to same.

The remaining members of the Volturi Coven moved a step back in response to the sudden disappearance of the enemy vampires.

"Alec," Jane called out a second later. "Stop them."

Alec began projecting his anesthetizing haze the moment he heard his name. A broad front of debilitating psychic energy quickly spread out in front of them. Almost immediately two enemy vampires, a male and a female, crumpled to the ground within the middle of Alec's haze. Their cloak of invisibility instantly fell away as they curled up into fetal positions. The Volturi members were surprised and heartened by the sudden visage of these previously unseen vampires. They paused to ponder these quivering masses of flesh. Suddenly a rock, the size of a man's fist, hammered into Alec's chest and knocked him backwards two steps. The debilitating haze quickly began to retreat as Alec redirected his attention to this attack. A second later, a fourth enemy vampire appeared from out of nowhere and slammed Alec to the ground. His defense against the vampire, that was suddenly weighing upon chest, distracted him from all else that was happening. A brief instant into this fight the attacker doubled over in pain as Jane directed her powers upon him. Alec had just gathered himself back up on his feet when a fifth and sixth vampire hammered Jane to the ground with a savage assault. The two vampires were invisible up until the moment of impact. They were also airborne. The two vampires flew in from the rear, passing all others within the Volturi Coven. Their attack looked to Alec as if it was being directed specifically at Jane.

Dazed by the multiple impacts, Jane was at that moment at the mercy of her attackers. Felix, Gerard, Maya, Peter and Efren quickly came to her defense and peeled her assailants off of her. Two more enemy vampires raced to the aid of their outnumbered colleagues. Alec quickly jumped to his feet as the enemy vampire he was fighting continued to slowly recover from Jane's excruciating assault. Alec whirled about and began to re-extend his crippling haze, but the previous two victims of same quickly evaded a second envelopment and dashed away under the cloak of invisibility. An instant later Alec abandoned the attempt, raced over to Jane and collected her into his arms.

"You okay?" A desperately concerned Alec queried his sister.

Jane was still groggy from the pounding she absorbed. Alec was convinced; nonetheless, that she would soon be herself and quickly turned his attention to the battle raging not far from him. The enemy vampire that he had been fighting moments earlier, now newly recovered from Jane's psychic powers, vanished before his eyes. His sudden disappearance, coupled with the unknown location of the two that were captives within his haze earlier, generated an intense sensation of panic within him. Alec quickly scanned about him, all the while knowing that he would not see his assailants until the moment of their attack. He thought to project his haze all about him, but this was an effect that was beyond him. His anesthetizing haze was limited to the direction he was viewing. His scanning about stalled his ability to project. His panic was quickly ballooning into terror. Suddenly something new caught his attention. The fight that Felix, Maya, Gerard and Efren were savagely waging, with their intermittently visible assailants, shortly drew the attention of the remaining three enemy vampires. What he noted an instant after was that Felix was drawing the bulk of this attention.

The six-foot-seven vampire was putting up a furious fight that no three of the enemy vampires could defeat by themselves. Peter, Efren, Maya and Gerard, appeared to be merely a distraction for the enemy vampires. He and Jane had seemingly been forgotten altogether. Several seconds later, Peter, followed by Maya, were caught off guard by the on-again off-again firefly effect of their opponents and were decapitated out of the fight. Jane reawakened in time to see Maya go down. An instant after that she threw herself up to full stance and prepared to insert her debilitating powers into the battle. Alec quickly wrapped his arms about her and spun her away from the fight before she could do this.

"No!" Alec yelled as he swung her around.

"What are you doing?" Jane yelled frantically.

"They'll kill you if you do that," Alec vehemently declared.

"Let go, let go," Jane complained as she struggled against Alec's restraint.

"Jane, look," Alec yelled as he wrenched her around to see the fight. "They concentrate on the greatest threat. If you use your powers, then that threat will be you."

Jane paused as she began to comprehend the truth of his observation. She could see that Felix was the principal target of these enemy vampires and that Efren's and Gerard's effort to intercede in his behalf was the extent of their role in the fight.

Efren was two inches shy of six feet tall and Gerard was six feet one in shoes. The two of them together appeared to have less than half the effect that Felix was producing.

"We have to get out of here," Alec exclaimed while pulling her away from the fight.

"Efren," Jane called out to the attractive young male Volturi vampire who was still intent upon asserting himself into the battle.

Jane pulled away from Alec and grabbed Efren by the arm. With a tug, she pulled him away from his opponent. To her and his surprise, the enemy vampire promptly lost interest in him and turned his anger onto Felix. Alec, Jane and Efren, turned and began to flee into the direction that they came. Gerard took note of their escape and, in turn, followed behind. Felix too took note of their flight, but the combined efforts of eight enemy vampires made his escape impossible.


	2. First Day of School

The first day of school at Forks High was its usual mass of confused symmetry. The student body scurried about on seemingly erratic paths only to end up evenly divided among the numerous classrooms within the academy a few minutes later. The day was surprisingly bright, despite the cloudy overcast. The morning air was chilled and stirred into a gentle breeze. Nearly all of the students were dressed in summer clothes. The weather was not yet cool enough to drive them into their fall attires.

Three years had passed from the day that the Cullens reportedly left Forks and Washington State. Little had changed within the community, besides the parade of new faces that comprised the student population of its only High-School. On the grounds of the campus, exhilaration was in the air. The eagerness of the throng of teenagers racing to embrace their new status within the school was nearly palpable.

In the student's parking lot, a familiar occupant clamored to a stop in one of the spaces there. The red Chevy pickup truck that once belong to Bella Swan Cullen made its reappearance outside of Forks High-School a year earlier, when Renesmee (Nessie) Cullen started her Junior year. Nessie was the four year old daughter of Edward and Bella Cullen, though you could not tell that by looking at her. Nessie was the product of a union between a human mother and a vampire father. This pairing made her unique to nearly every other person on the planet. There were only three other persons that the Cullens knew of that could make the claim of being human/vampire hybrids.

It took Nessie only four years to develop to near the peak of maturity. In her freshman year, she looked, to all others, to be a scrawny little girl who was slowly moving into her adolescent years. Many of the students at that time challenged the physical age that she gave for herself, fourteen years. On first appearance, most thought she was a prepubescent who had jumped a couple of years in her schooling. This was not a belief that her parents or grandparents wanted others to have. Carlisle Cullen, Nessie's grandfather, advised the family that Nessie would likely pass through puberty near to the start of her third year of life and that she would probably reach full maturity between her sixth and seventh year. Nessie had been living up to her grandfather's calculation as if each stage of her development were being triggered by a clock. Her growth spurt in the summer prior to her sophomore year transpired so quickly that casual acquaintances had trouble recognizing her from week to week.

Today, Nessie was starting her senior year of high-school. Physically she looked to be around twenty years old and, metabolically speaking, she was. Chronologically speaking she was in her fifth year of life. Nessie climbed out of the cab of her hand-me-down pick-up truck wearing sneakers, jeans and a short sleeved pullover blouse. Standing five-feet-eight inches tall Nessie was comparable in height to other young ladies at the school. Where she did differ from most was with her nearly perfectly configured, physique. Nessie's light, but tightly toned frame gave her the appearance of a dancer. Her facial features were unblemished, beautifully balanced and exquisitely configured. Her auburn hair maintained a perpetual silky sheen. This day she had it tied into a ponytail that fell to a length half-a-foot below her shoulders. For someone in the know about vampires, Nessie might easily be mistaken for one.

"Nessie," Edie called out as Nessie retrieved her backpack from the cab of the truck and then slammed shut the door to same.

Edie Kepler had been Nessie's closes friend since the first day of their freshman year. She stood five-feet five-inches tall and was slightly overweight in the hips. This addition to her figure did little to effect her looks. Edie Kepler was very cute in appearance. It did, however, have a sizeable negative effect on her perception of herself. Edie was insecure about her looks, and she consciously maneuvered to conceal this from others. This insecurity often caused her to over compensate with regards to her attire. Edie Kepler was a stylish dresser. Her pleasing appearance to others was helped by the fact that she nearly always spoke with a smile and a happy demeanor.

Nessie and Edie were initially thrown together by proximity. Edie lived within a short walk from Charlie's house in Forks. They also shared the same home room at school. Edie's insecurity about her own appearance drew her to Nessie's diminutive physique. She reasoned that her own appearance would not suffer by the comparison. Together they braved the strange new world of high-school as freshmen. Nessie's sudden development in the summer before their sophomore year temporarily strained this relationship. Edie no longer knew how to relate to her immensely more attractive friend and her new popularity. Nessie, however, was not inclined on losing her friend. She made it a requirement that any new friendship of hers had to be equally accepting of Edie.

"Hi," Nessie called back with a smile.

"Are you ready for your senior year?" Edie cheerfully queried as she approached at a hurried pace.

"Can't wait," Nessie answered back with a smile.

Nessie quickly wheeled about and matched Edie's pace. Together they walked towards the entrance to Forks High grinning with excitement.

"So, who do you have your eye on this year," Edie questioned greedily.

"What do you mean?" Nessie queried back with a frown.

"Boys, Nessie, jeez don't you ever get your head out of the books? This is our senior year. That means the senior prom. If you showed a little entrance, you could have your pick of any boy in the school."

"I'm not thinking about that," Nessie retorted nonchalantly.

"There is more to High-School than just getting straight A's."

Edie Kepler was one of the top academic students in the school, but she was no match for Nessie.

"You forget; I got a C in physical Education," Nessie haughtily corrected.

"Yeah, how that happened I'll never know," Edie spoke back with exaggerated bewilderment.

Nessie's C in physical education was not easy for her to accomplish. She went to considerable lengths to conceal her physical capabilities and often flirted with a D for the effort. Looking one-hundred percent human while running and jumping was hard for her. These efforts to restrict her performance often made her look clumsy when she participated in athletic endeavors. Edie was always confused by this. She had many memories of Nessie off campus performing athletic maneuvers with surprising ease and adroitness. She questioned, on more than one occasion, "Are you trying to fail gym?" Nessie's patented reply to this was, "I don't like being indoors. I prefer to run with the wolves." Edie always took this as a nonsensical remark that related to nothing in the real world, little did she know.

Three hours and three classrooms later, Nessie and Edie were seated side by side in their homeroom; they compared schedules and looked for overlapping classes. 

"Oh, you're taking a calculus class?" Edie questioned with surprise.

"Yeah..."

"Why?" Edie queried with a shocked expression.

"It's something new," Nessie replied with a shrug.

"Girl, you are a glutton for punishment."

"I just like things that challenge me," Nessie casually responded.

"I hate you. You know that don't you." Edie humorously retorted.

Nessie briefly took this with a smile before responding, "You should switch classes and take it with me," she eagerly encouraged. "We can be study partners."

"That's alright. I can do without calculus, thank you very much."

No sooner had Edie said this did Nessie focus in on the name of her Calculus teacher.

"What's wrong?" Edie inquired about her sudden change of demeanor.

"I've haven't seen this teacher's name before. Who's Bowden?"

"Oh yeah, he's new," Edie quickly reported. "Mister Thornton resigned and moved to Portland. He's his replacement."

"That's quick," Nessie pondered out-loud. "I didn't hear anything about Mister Thornton leaving Forks when I last saw him."

"I heard it was kind of sudden," Edie began to explain. "...something about his mother being ill." 

"Well, aren't you the Miss Know-it-all," Nessie quipped.

"I hear things," Edie responded with a big smile.

"So, have you heard anything about Bowden?" Nessie questioned around a barely contained grin.

"No, but I'm sure he's no one you can't handle."

"Yeah, you're right," Nessie agreed with an exaggerated air of confidence.

Shortly after that, their home-room teacher called their attentions to the front and to the business of the school.

**~~~** _line break_ **~~~**

During the school's first lunch period, one hour later, Nessie and Edie met up again in the cafeteria. For the students of Forks High-school, lunch hour was the social event of every school day. It was also the location where each senior class held court and ruled supreme. This year it was Nessie's turn, not that she gave much thought to this. These were things, however, that she could not escape. Nessie was the most standout member of the student population and had been since her sophomore year. Among the girls of Forks High, she was either admired or loathed for her looks, bearing and academic prowess. Among the boys, she was universally adored for her looks alone. Despite all the attention, Nessie did not seek admission into the student body's most popular clique, it simply formulated around her. 

"Nessie, over here, c'mon," Carol Mouser called out from her seat at the table in the center of the largest open area of the cafeteria.

This table had historically been the real-estate of the most popular girls of the school. It was invariably dominated by seniors during the first lunch hour. Carol Mouser and Patricia Hasper, both seniors, were quick to take ownership of this seating. Both were exceptionally attractive, but neither was a rival to Nessie. Edie entered the cafeteria a minute later with Helen Ward and Rachel Parker in tow. They two were among the most attractive young ladies in the school. Rachel was the only one among this group who came close to matching Nessie in aesthetics. The most popular clique of boys in the school held court in the far corner from the cafeteria entrance.

Nessie promptly gathered up her tray of food and steered herself over to the table. She took a seat in the waiting empty chair with a smile. No sooner had she done this did an exuberant Carol hit her with a question.

"Have you seen the new math teacher?"

"Who...? ...Bowden?" Nessie questioned back with a ponderous tone of voice.

"Yeah, isn't he gorgeous?" Carol queried back excitedly.

"I haven't seen him yet," Nessie reported with an amused expression.

"He is good looking," Patricia put in with a giggle. "Lucky for you, you have his class. I've got Kate Warner again."

"There's nothing wrong with Mrs. Warner," Nessie began to lecture. "You need to stop whispering in class."

"She has the hearing of a bat," Patricia argued back.

All there at the table erupted into a round of laughter. A few seconds later Nessie interrupted this with an explanation in Mrs. Warner's defense.

"She just has a thing about having everyone's absolute attention," Nessie proffered while partially containing a giggle.

"She doesn't like me," Patricia insisted.

"That's not true," Nessie rebuffed.

"I don't think she likes anybody," Helen tossed out with dread.

Again, everyone joined into a round of laughter.

Shortly after that the conversation turned to more traditional topics for this group. Not least among these was the crop of senior class boys and how they fared, one against the other. Sean Bowden was not mentioned again.

Immediately following lunch, Nessie retrieved her backpack from her locker and made her way to the room where her Calculus Class would be given. She quickly entered the room. The new teacher was not there. Unperturbed by this, she and a dozen other students moved into the seats of their choice. Nessie's behavior was marked by an absence of anxiety. She conducted herself in a manner that suggested that, in her mind, one teacher was as good as the next, and there was nothing special to be expected from any of them. She settled into her seat and quickly displayed upon her desk the accoutrements likely to be needed for this first day, namely speaking a pen and a pad of paper.

One minute late, Sean Bowden entered the classroom. Nessie was instantly awed at the sight of him.

"Hello everyone, my name is Sean Bowden," he announced as he walked into the room and positioned himself behind his desk. "I'm going to be your Calculus teacher this year. Calculus is a favorite math of mine, and I'm sure we're going to have fun exploring it together. I promise to try and keep the lessons interesting and, in return, I hope you'll take it easy on the new guy."

A brief murmur of muffled laughter spewed out from the class.

By Nessie's estimation, Sean Bowden was tall, but not too tall, young, but not too young, and ideally handsome. In actuality, he was twenty-seven years old and he stood six-feet-two-inches tall. He looked more like an athlete turned model than he did a high-school math teacher. This was not all the way untrue. During his college years, he was regularly active in the swimming, tennis and lacrosse programs, and he modeled on several occasions for nearby retailers and the university's publication. Despite these interests, he did not excel in any of them. His true passion was always for mathematics.

Sean took a seat behind his desk and opened up a binder there to the roster page for the class in front of him.

"Raise your hand when I call out your name," Sean instructed to the class.

With each new mannerism, gesture or spoken word Nessie became more enthralled. She marveled at the fact that when he spoke a hint of a smile was on his lips. It was not that Sean Bowden was far more handsome than any male she had ever seen. Joey Kelleher, in her own senior class, was someone she found very attractive. He was also very much a child in her eyes. She also took notice of several men outside of school. They all, however, had something in their makeup that she perceived to be a flaw. They were all either too young in their manner, or too old in their appearance, or graying, or were sporting receding hairlines, and nearly all were on the downside of their physical peak. Until this moment, Nessie knew of only one man who was ideally suited for her, Jacob. It was for this reason that she had spent the whole of her life ignoring other men, for the most part. Nessie took it for granted that she and Jacob would someday marry.

"Renesmee Cullen," Sean called out to the class.

"Here," Nessie replied as she held up her hand. "Everyone calls me Nessie."


	3. There Is No Place Like Home

Renee Dwyer was at first reluctant to move into the one-time home of the vampire family, the Cullens. Initially she kept the house empty, dreading selling it with equal fear for living there. She also had no desire to leave Forks. Now that she knew what existed in the world, she worried for the safety of Li'l Phil and herself and doubly so if they lived out from under the protection of the pair of preternatural guardians who watched over the inhabitants of the Olympic Peninsula.

The sensation of security that came with living in Charlie's home kept Renee fixed there, as well. She was in no hurry to remove herself from Charlie's nearby presence. Renee knew that her worries were exaggerated. On several occasions she was given assurances by the Cullens that it would be safe for her to live wherever she wished. What she neglected to tell everyone was that she wished to stay right there in Forks, just not alone in an isolated house.

The Cullens, on rare occasions made visits to Charlie's house. They always came late at night to avoid being seen by the neighbors, and they always announced their coming with a phone call earlier that day. It was always one or two Cullens at the most and the reason behind these visits was usually to see Nessie. This changed when Bella and Edward returned from their second honeymoon. Bella's visits also included spending time with her parents and Li'l Phil. During these visits Bella would routinely urge her mother to make a decision about the house they had left her.

"Mom, you can't stay here in this house," Bella implored. "There just isn't enough room."

"I know honey, I know," Renee lamented. "But I worry about living out there with no neighbors around."

"Then live someplace else," Bella argued. "You can live anywhere you want."

"But Nessie wants to live there," Renee confessed. "It's home to her and I don't feel right about selling it."

This was more excuse than concern.

"Mom, the woods are perfectly safe," Bella softly assured. "You're probably safer out there than you are here, and if you were living there it would be easier for me to visit you."

"I know, I'm just not sure about what I want to do,"

"Okay, but think about it," Bella encouraged.

"Yeah, I will."

These conversations invariably ended with this agreement. As soon as the visit was over, Renee would relax in the safety and comfort she had right there in Charlie's home. For her it was the best of all three choices.

Charlie was not displeased with this living arrangement either. He had no desire to see Renee and Li'l Phil leave. They were a welcome presence in his home, but he was reluctant to confess that to anyone else. For Charlie his two-bedroom house was home. It was like an old shoe that was a perfect fit. At best all was needed was a few additions and improvements. On a couple of occasions, he casually tossed out the idea of adding a downstairs bedroom and a second bathroom. They were off the cuff remarks that were carefully configured to avoid sounding like he wanted Renee to stay. After all, he had no idea if she had any plans to stay, or any wish to for that matter.

This was an awkward dance that went on for nearly three months. Charlie and Renee spent most of their time avoiding the subjects of the vacant Cullen house or her selling it and leaving Forks. When the subject did come up, they danced around making any real decision. This all changed the day they discovered that they were in love, once again. It was a discovery that was slowly developing from the very first day. It came to a head the day Charlie and Renee found themselves alone in the house.

It was a Saturday. Charlie was off from work. Nessie and her new friend, Edie had taken Li'l Phil on a stroll in the sun. Charlie and Renee had no one around to run interference or keep them distracted or to chaperon. They knew even before it happened that they could not be alone together and restrain their feelings for each other. Nessie and Li'l Phil returned an hour later to find Renee and Charlie acting uncomfortably aloof with one-another and looking physically disheveled.

Suddenly Charlie's two-bedroom house became intolerable for the four of them. Three months after the Cullens officially left Washington State; Renee succumbed to the obvious solution to their housing problem, and to Nessie's persistent nudging, and moved into the home that the Cullens vacated, with one proviso, Charlie comes too. Nessie was ecstatic about the move. She desperately wanted a room of her own. Sleeping on Charlie's sofa-bed was not working for her at all. Charlie publicly rationalized his move on the grounds that Nessie was his charge and he needed to be wherever she was. Once the move was made, Charlie and Renee quickly settled into the new order of their cohabitation on the Olympic Peninsula. They were, in every way but name, husband and wife, again. They remained happily so until about halfway through the summer between Nessie's junior and senior year.

**~~~** _line break_ **~~~**

Late in the afternoon of Nessie's first day as a senior at Forks High-School, Renee was preparing dinner while Li'l Phil pushed a toy truck about on the floor, not far from her view. Into this picture, Nessie suddenly raced into the house and bounded up the stairs to the kitchen. After depositing her backpack on the table, she quickly turned and set off for the refrigerator.

"Hi," Nessie announced herself as she walked to the other side of the room.

Li'l Phil instantly abandoned his toy and followed her to the refrigerator.

"Hi, how was school?" Renee queried back as she continued making preparations for the evening meal.

"It was great," Nessie reported with a smile as she opened the refrigerator door.

Intrigued a little by this response, Renee glanced her way.

"Did something special happen today?"

Nessie had just opened the refrigerator door when Li'l Phil collided into a bear hug unto her leg.

"Hi," Li'l Phil called up to Nessie with a giggle.

"Hey, you," Nessie spoke down to Li'l Phil with a smile.

"No, nothing new," Nessie responded to Renee's inquiry as she began rummaging about inside the refrigerator.

Shortly she found a lidded plastic bowl with leftover strips of chicken inside. She quickly removed the container from the refrigerator and began feeding herself its contents with her fingers. Renee took note of this as Nessie closed the refrigerator door with her foot, walked over to the kitchen counter island and sat in the highchair just opposite of her.

"I was going to make a salad out of that."

"I'm hungry," Nessie responded defensively.

Renee thought nothing more of it and continued what she was doing. Li'l Phil followed Nessie to the highchair and extended his hands up in a plea to be picked up. Nessie promptly picked him up and sat him in her lap.

"Don't give him any of that," Renee promptly instructed Nessie.

"Okay," Nessie responded as she pushed the bowl of chicken out of Li'l Phil's reach.

"Why are you home so late," Renee questioned with only a minor amount of interest.

"I went to Carol's house with Edie and Patricia."

Li'l Phil squirmed in Nessie's lap as he tried to reach for the bowl.

"Oh yeah, what were you girls up to today?" Renee casually inquired.

"Mostly we just talked about boys," Nessie threw out in a disinterested tone.

"Is there a boy in school that you like this year?" Renee inquired with some interest.

"Yeah, there's a few, but they're just boys," Nessie responded despondently.

Renee took note of the dissatisfaction in her tone.

"I know you think you're grown, Nessie, but emotionally you're just as much a child as all the other kids at that school."

"No, I'm not," Nessie quickly defended. "Carlisle says that I am maturing mentally just as fast as I am physically."

"Yeah, but emotions grow with experience."

Renee briefly turned away from Nessie to stack some cooking utensils in the sink. Nessie took advantage of this time to insert a small piece of chicken in Li'l Phil's mouth. He immediately began to munch away on it. Renee turned back around and took note of Li'l Phil's chewing.

"Don't feed him," Renee admonished. "I fed him a couple of hours ago. If you feed him now, he's just going to play with his dinner later on."

"Okay," Nessie softly placated.

Renee gave no thought to telling Nessie not to eat. She knew from experience that her appetite would be in full swing come dinner time. Carlisle explained her voracious appetite as a consequence of her accelerated metabolic system.

"I have experiences," Nessie spoke back defensively in response to Renee's challenge of her emotional maturity.

Renee quickly took note of this verbiage. Her brow slightly ruffled as she pondered it.

"Have you and Jacob been fooling around out there?" Renee gently inquired with intrigue.

Out there was Renee's terminology for the forest. Nessie and Jacob would disappear for hours at a time as they ran through the forest about the house.

"No," Nessie quickly denied defensively.

Renee visibly relaxed a bit as she turned her attention back to the preparation of that evening's meal.

"I've been on a date," Nessie continued to defend. "I went to the Junior Prom with Anthony."

"Okay," Renee casually agreed as she took this claim of experience in stride.

It was well known by all within the family that Anthony was a pity date that she quickly abandoned when the music stopped.

Nessie took note of Renee's sarcastic expression and quickly spoke up in her own defense.

"I can't help it if I like men and not boys."

"Are we talking about Jacob, or is there someone else who has caught your eye?" Renee inquired with a mild amount of interest.

"I don't know. Maybe," Nessie pondered back.

Renee became a little bit more intrigued.

"Does this maybe have a name?"

"No, I just saw someone who caught my eye," Nessie lied.

"Oh," Renee reacted without looking up from her work.

"Does that ever happen to you?" Nessie inquired with fascination. "You just see someone, and you like them right away."

"Yeah, but not so much anymore," Renee answered after a moment of thought.

"Can you really fall in love with someone at first sight?" Nessie inquired with a hint of excitement.

"Yeah," Renee responded off the cuff. "But that's rarely a good thing."

"Why is that?" Nessie questioned back.

"Well, when you fall in love at first sight that usually means that you're sold on the packaging," Renee thought out loud. "But when you take him home you have to live with the merchandise."

"Can't the merchandise live up to the packaging?" Nessie questioned with concern in her tone.

"Yeah, sometimes it works out like that," Renee reflected inward as she answered with a broad smile.

"You're thinking about Phil," Nessie accused with a smirk.

"Yeah, he was pretty good on both counts," Renee confessed.

Nessie lowered Li'l Phil to the floor in response to his squirming to get there.

"Was that love at first sight," Nessie gently probed.

"No, no," Renee answered defensively. "But it was pretty close."

"So, what was Charlie?" Nessie interrogated with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Renee pondered out her question.

"Was he packaging or merchandise?" Nessie continued to smile as she explained her question.

"Neither," Renee retorted with a great big smile.

"Neither? What does that mean?"

"When I married Charlie, he was a skinny police cadet in a baggy uniform."

Nessie grinned at this image.

"Weren't you in love?" Nessie questioned curiously.

"I suppose," Renee responded. "But mostly I was in love with being in love. Charlie had this plan for his future, and I latched on to it. I wanted to be a fixture in his life."

"What happened?"

"I grew up. One day I woke up and discovered that I wasn't a little girl in a great big world. I was a woman and that there was a whole world out there for me to explore."

"So, you just left?" Nessie inquired pointedly.

"We weren't getting along back then," Renee reflected back as she responded. "I wasn't happy with where my life was going, and he wasn't happy with me. Everything just started falling apart."

"Is that what's going on now?" Nessie questioned gently.

"No, we're okay" Renee responded defensively.

"Then why are you sleeping in separate bedrooms now?"

"We're just having a little problem sorting out the nature of our relationship," Renee answered back in a diplomatic address.

"Meaning what?" Nessie probed for more.

"Charlie wants to keep us, me and him, a quiet affair until we get married. Like everyone in Forks doesn't already know that we're living together," Renee answered back with incredulity.

"Is this about that Fund Raiser for Mark Kemper last month?" Nessie questioned with curiosity.

"Apparently it was inappropriate for me to be there with him." Renee retorted with a hint of anger. "Having me mingling with city and county officials was something he didn't sign on for when we moved in together."

"So that is it?"

"I'm not going to share the same room with someone who doesn't want to be seen publicly with me," Renee rifled back heatedly.

"So why don't you guys get married?" Nessie questioned as if she was pointing out the obvious.

"We can't," Renee softly responded. "I'm married to Phil."

Renee paused to give Nessie the time to comprehend this.

"And I'm not going to divorce Phil," Renee angrily spoke out in response to a question that Nessie suspected had been asked by Charlie. "I'm not going to say Phil abandoned me and his son, and I'm not going to say that I stopped loving him," Renee fumed.

Nessie took a moment to ponder all that she heard while Renee returned to the work of preparing the evening meal.

"You guys aren't going to split up, are you?" Nessie somberly inquired after a brief time.

"No," Renee quickly retorted. "We're just going through a little problem right now."

"But you can't get married," Nessie pointed out plaintively.

"Sure, we can," Renee responded in a calm voice. "The state considers someone legally dead after they've gone missing for seven years. We can get married then."

"Then you do love Charlie?" Nessie queried with relief.

"Yes, I love Charlie," Renee softly admitted. "I'm not sure I could have dealt with all this supernatural stuff without him. The packaging may be a little generic, but the merchandise is well worth the price."

**~~~** _line break_ **~~~**

Two hours later Charlie arrived home from work. Renee had finished preparing the evening meal half an hour earlier and the dining-room table was set for same. This was, for the most part, the normal pattern for a weekday evening inside the Dwyer/Swan household. What had become different, of late, was the silence between Renee and Charlie.

Throughout the meal Nessie distanced herself from the tension between her two grandparents. She had seen arguments between Renee and Charlie several times over the past three years. She knew from experience that they would not be at all talkative at the table for as long as they were angry with one-another. Once the meal was over they separated to opposing corners, figuratively speaking, and became their usual pleasant selves once again.

Charlie spent much of the remainder of the evening watching a televised baseball game when he was not playing with Li'l Phil. This was nearly a nightly ritual for the two of them. Charlie would exploit Lil Phil's constant craving for attention to indoctrinate him on the rules of the game. Charlie's theatrical explanations about plays and rules meant nothing to the three and a half years toddler. Li'l Phil was more intrigued by Charlie's boisterous antics than he was by anything that was happening on the television. This was of no surprise to Charlie. He enjoyed his time with Li'l Phil regardless of the activity. The game was simply an excuse to interact with this toddler that he loved like a son.

Renee spent much of this same time restoring the kitchen, and the dining area, back to its pre-use condition. Shortly after completing this she put Li'l Phil to bed, very much over his objection. She then retired to her room. It was either this, or watch the game with Charlie, as she often had done in times past.

Nessie finished her meal and had just begun helping Renee with the cleanup when Jacob Black arrived at the front door.

The past three years had made a definable difference it Jacob's appearance. Still brawny and chiseled, the Quileute shapeshifter had taken on a decidedly more mature appearance in the face. His bronze complexion and jet-black hair remained unchanged. His attire was simple; shorts, a Tee-shirt, and gym-shoes.

"You guys done?" Jacob queried Nessie in the vestibule.

Jacob was well aware that they had just finished eating dinner. The shape-shifting Quileute Indian had been in the forest, not far from the house, listening to all that was being said inside as he sampled the aroma of their meal.

"Yeah, we just finished," Nessie answered back.

"Come on then, let's go," Jacob urged with a gesture towards the door.

"I have schoolwork to do," Nessie quickly answered back.

"You're kidding," Jacob responded with surprise. "...homework on your first day?"

"It's not homework," Nessie denied. "I just want to get a head start on my studies."

"...a head start?" Jacob questioned with incredulity. "You're an A student. You could have skipped a grade if you had taken that Advance Placement Exam."

"I like high-school. Why would I want to skip a grade?" Nessie responded with a bewildered inflection in her tone.

"So, you're really not going to run with me tonight?" Jacob questioned in a concerned voice.

"Not tonight Jacob," Nessie begged off. "I want to get started with my calculus studies."

"Calculus," Jacob spat out with a laugh. "That's for eggheads. Why is that so important right now?"

"Why is running about in woods, like animals, so important?" Nessie lashed out with anger.

Nessie's sudden temper caught Jacob by surprise. Several seconds later Nessie was also alarmed and a little embarrassed by her loss of control.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Jacob responded after a brief pause. "I just thought we might get in one last run, or maybe go to a show, before you got caught up with school and friends and all that stuff."

"Maybe next week," Nessie fumbled out her reply.

"Okay, I'll see you then," Jacob answered as he backed away.

Just before he was about to turn away, Jacob thought of something that he meant to say.

"Oh ah, Rosalie and Emmett are back."

"Are they in the cottage?" Nessie queried with excitement.

"No, Cody and Quil cut across their trail earlier today," Jacob answered back.

"Oh, well if you do see them, tell them to come by the house," Renee instructed with a grin.

"You'll probably see them before I do, but I'll pass it along if I do."

With that said Jacob turned away, opened the front door and walked out of the house. Nessie closed the door behind him and sprinted up to her room, and her calculus book.


	4. Unexpected Meetings

The beginning of high school began in earnest the next day, not that Nessie gave much notice to the difference. She traversed through her first three classes with little notice of what happened in each. Her thoughts were out ahead of her location. The two came together when she entered her calculus class.

Nessie's heart, much to her surprise, went all aflutter when she first set eyes on Sean Bowden again. He was just as she remembered him, with exception for his attire. Nessie halfway expected him to look different. She toyed with the idea that her infatuation had somehow exaggerated his appearance in her mind. He was however, just as handsome as she remembered him to be, and she was all the more enraptured with him for it.

That day's lesson was easy enough for her to comprehend. She had already read through one-quarter of her calculus textbook and was on fairly sure footing with regards to her understanding of what she read. Throughout the class she was eager to show off her comprehension and jumped at every opportunity to display it. A friendly smile and a pleasant demeanor were the sheathing about every word and action that she directed at her teacher.

When the class was over, Nessie trailed behind the rest of the class as they walked towards the door. Fearing she would look like a silly schoolgirl if she turned about to say goodbye, Nessie quietly strode out the doorway, biting her lip as she went. She suffered through the rest of the school day without Sean Bowden nearby to quench her longing for his attention. 

Nessie began her weekend the same way that she had during her previous three school years. She went straight to work on her homework assignments. Once this was completed, she began studying to prepare herself for the next week of classes. Nessie would generally divide the bulk of her weekends, during the school year, between study and her girlfriends. This was a routine that frustrated Jacob.

It was Saturday, late in the morning, and Nessie had twice, so far, left her room for a total of thirty-seven minutes. Starting at five A.M., she spent the greater part of this morning with her attention fixed on her textbooks. At a quarter-to-twelve she got a phone call. The caller-id alerted her to who the caller was.

"What's up?"

"Hey, we're going to Sully's ...you coming?" Edie announced in an excited tone of voice.

"Who's we?" Nessie queried back.

"Me, Pat, and Carol," Edie rifled back. "We have to be there in thirty minutes, so you need to get moving now."

"Why do we have to be there in thirty minutes?" Nessie questioned in a curious voice.

"Joey, Steve, Matt and Richard are going to be there," Edie reported excitedly. "They invited us to hang-out with them this afternoon in the park. Joey asked for you by name."

"I don't know," Nessie began to say.

"Nessie, get your nose out of them books," Edie mockingly scolded.

"Okay," Nessie complainingly agreed.

"And hurry-up," Edie punctuated an instant before hanging up the phone.

Nessie promptly did as she was instructed and began preparing herself to leave the house. Because of the time requirement, this entailed racing about her room at a frantic pace.

Nessie had no qualms with spending the day with her girlfriends. This was something that she enjoyed. Being a normal teenage girl was the plan she had for herself at present. During her first two years of high school she pursued nearly all of the amusements that came with being a teenager with a passion. This included the attentions of boys. It was only of late that these attentions became too serious for her to entertain. As much as she enjoyed being admired, she feared the harm that her rejection of the admirer might do. Nessie took note, in the summer before her junior year, that she was becoming increasingly disinterested in teenage boys. This was a transition that came as a pleasant turn of events for Jacob.

Ten minutes later Nessie was out the front door of the house. She raced towards Forks at her aging red truck's best speed. This was not because she was in a great hurry to get there. The truth of the matter was that her truck's best speed was slightly below the posted speed limit for the highway she was on. Once she was inside the city limits, she slowed to comply with the posted maximum speed. The number of automobiles and people moving about was typical for midday, Saturday. The streets were mildly busy with cars and pedestrians moving about the different shopping areas within Forks. Nessie carefully navigated through this without regard for her time. She had nowhere near Edie's enthusiasm for this outing. She simply wanted to be out and about with her friends, and she had no doubt that they would be there whenever she did arrive.

Suddenly Nessie was distracted away from her intended destination by an unexpected appearance. Her keen sight easily picked out Sean Bowden, at nearly one-hundred yards distant, walking towards the front entrance of an Ace Hardware Store. Nessie immediately became flushed by the sight of him. She deftly steered her truck towards the store's parking lot at a decidedly hurried speed. All thoughts of spending the afternoon at Sully's with her friends were gone. After parking her truck, she set out across the lot for the front entrance of the store at a fast walk.

The store was busy with people coming and going, but Nessie gave no thought to them. She zigzagged around half-a-dozen patrons outside the entrance of the store without so much as a look or a smile. Once inside the store she slowed to a casual stroll as she feigned at shopping, but Sean Bowden was her only interest.

The hardware store was as big as a large supermarket. Business appeared to be at peak performance. All six of its cash registers were in operation and a minimum of two customers stood in line behind each. At least two dozen patrons wandered about inside, searching for what they needed among the twelve aisles of goods. Despite this activity, Nessie had no trouble acquiring and holding onto Sean Bowden's location. She maintained a discrete distance as she followed his slow meander through the store. Sean's primary interest within the store was for painting supplies. He quickly acquired the use of a platform cart to accumulate nine cans of paint, four brushes, two rollers and paint trays, masking tape and a ten-foot ladder. In another section of the store he collected a one-piece toilet and a bathroom sink, complete with faucet.

Halfway through Sean's shopping Nessie's cellphone rang. It was Edie. She quickly answered the call.

"Where are you?" Edie demanded through the phone.

"I can't make it," Nessie quickly responded in a hushed tone. "I'll meet you at the park and explain then."

Nessie quickly disconnected the call before Edie could respond and returned the cellphone to her back pocket.

One half hour after entering the store, Sean began to steer his way towards the registers at the front of the store. Nessie immediately took note of this, snatched up a surge protector off the shelf in front of her and the sent herself on an intercept course with her calculus teacher.

"Hi Mr. Bowden," Nessie cheerfully announced while positioning herself behind him the in the line.

"Hi uh, Nessie...?" Sean fumbled out the words with a questioning inflection.

Sean recognized Nessie the instant he set eyes on her. His hesitation was a result of his surprise at seeing her. Of all the young ladies who were students in one of his classes, Nessie was the one he was most uncomfortable with seeing outside of the school. She was by his perception the prettiest young lady attending Forks High School.

"Are you building a house?" Nessie questioned with a smile.

"It feels that way," Sean jokingly answered back. "It's an old house. I'm making some repairs."

"And you're doing this all on your own," Nessie pried with an amused expression.

"...for the most part."

"Wow, I'm impressed," Nessie responded with a broad smile.

Sean briefly returned this smile. The customer in front of him shortly gathered up his goods and started for the store's exit. Sean promptly moved into the space in front of the cash register. It took Sean ten minutes to purchase all of the items on his cart. Nessie quietly stood by and watched as he accomplished this. Once he had his receipt in hand, Sean turned to Nessie and gave her a farewell remark.

"I'll see you in school then."

"Okay."

Sean turned away and began steering his large purchase towards the store's exit. Nessie immediately set her surge protector up on the counter and purchased it with cash. The entire process took three-quarters of a minute. She then gathered up her surge protector and set off, in a rush, for the exit to the store.

Nessie shortly caught up with Sean as he approached his Jeep Compass vehicle from behind.

"Are you sure all of that is going to fit in there?" Nessie questioned coyly.

"It'll fit," Sean responded with a smile.

"Yeah, but I bet you wish you knew somebody with a truck," Nessie spoke back with a mischievous smile.

Sean turned his head to give Nessie a curious look. She in turn pointed to her truck with a smile.

"Is that yours?" Sean queried in a mildly astonished tone of voice.

"It's kind of a family heirloom," Nessie reported with a smile.

Surprised by this answer Sean could think of only one response, "oh."

Nessie was amused by this and freely showed it on her face. After taking a few seconds to enjoy Sean's expression, she responded again to ease his concerns.

"But it runs," Nessie playfully assured. "I can help you out with that if you like.

"Oh okay, if it's not going to be a problem for you."

"No, no problem at all," Nessie insisted.

Nessie guided Sean over to her truck with an eager smile and quickly lowered the tailgate.

"So, did you just move to Forks?" Nessie queried as she and Sean began loading up her truck.

"I moved here from Seattle," Sean responded in turn.

"...you have family there?" Nessie casually questioned.

"My parents live there," Sean continued to converse as he worked. "My sister lives in Tacoma."

"Then there's no wife and children," Nessie slyly pried.

"No, it's just me," Sean responded as he lifted his ladder off the flatbed and carefully loaded onto Nessie's truck.

"This looks like too much work for you to be doing all by yourself," Nessie critiqued in a concerned voice.

"I might hire someone to help a little," Sean responded as he continued to work.

"It's too bad that you don't have a girlfriend to help you," Nessie continued to snoop. "I imagined that would make the work go a lot quicker."

Sean instantly took note that Nessie was fishing for his relationship status, but he did his best not to show it.

"I suppose."

No sooner had Sean spoken his last words was he momentarily made aghast by the sight of little Nessie hoisting his one piece, eighty-five pound, toilet off the cart and setting it down with ease in the bed of her truck. Nessie was so engrossed with the conversation that she was coaxing Sean into that she had forgotten to keep her physical strength in check. A moment after setting the toilet fixture down she noted Sean's surprise and quickly attributed this to her last deposit onto the truck.

"Oh yeah, I'm way stronger than I look," Nessie blundered out the words with a nervous laugh. "I know it looks kind of freakish," she continued an instant later in a dejected tone.

"No," Sean quickly placated with a smile. "Just a little surprising, that's all."

Nessie took comfort in Sean's acceptance and his smile. She quickly perked up and continued with the loading. A few minutes later they both climb into their respective vehicles and drove off the store's lot, with Sean leading the way.

**~~~** _line break_ **~~~**

"Come on in Charlie," Mayor Leland Maxwell ushered at the door.

Mayor Maxwell closed the door after Charlie entered his study. He then directed him to one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

"Have a seat," Mayor Maxwell encouraged as he made his way to his chair behind the desk.

Charlie anticipated the invitation and was already moving towards the chair to the right. He was not unaccustomed to being called into a meeting with the mayor. As the Chief of Police, he frequently had discussions with him. He was also personally familiar with Leland. They both grew up in Forks and knew of each other for most of their lives. On most days Charlie was comfortable in the company of the Mayor of Forks. What made this summons unusual for him was that it came on a day when he and the mayor were usually not at work and the location for the meet was at the mayor's home. Charlie eyed Leland suspiciously as he sat back in his chair and waited for him to speak.

Leland Maxwell was a stout man and two inches taller than Charlie. He looked to be healthy, but not all athletic. He maintained a congenial expression with his face as though it was part of his attire. His hair was short, well-groomed and graying. He was casually attired in a short-sleeved polo shirt, pressed slacks and loafers. He was a man whom by all appearances looked to be someone that took full advantage of the comforts available to him.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Leland offered pleasantly.

"No, I'm fine," Charlie quickly answered back with a wave of his hand.

"You're sure...? I have beer or a soft drink if you like; whatever you want," Leland pushed in an overly gracious manner.

"I'm fine, Leland," Charlie insisted. "Why am I here?"

Leland paused for a moment to gather the will to speak the words he needed to say.

"Charlie, I'm going to need you to resign as Chief of Police."

Charlie was not surprised by this request. He anticipated that something serious was about to be said. Being fired from his job was simply his worst-case scenario.

"Why?" Charlie questioned after taking a moment to ponder this request.

"A member of the council has expressed concerns about your ability to administrate a force of this size," Leland stated delicately.

"Don't give me that, Leland," Charlie challenged back. "This is politics. Somebody wants me out and I have a right to know who."

"You've got it all wrong, Charlie," Leland responded defensively. "The police force is twice the size it was ten years ago."

"And I've been the Chief of Police for nearly all of that time," Charlie interrupted forcefully. "There has been no discernable change in the level of crime or fall off of enforcement in all of that time."

"That doesn't mean those numbers won't change," Leland defended. "Forks is growing and it may be growing significantly very soon."

"So, who are you going to replace me with?" Charlie questioned accusingly. "...Ryan? ...Glen?"

Leland was reluctant to respond to this.

"I'm the only person on the force who has the experience to run the department during this new period of growth. So, you must be going outside the department and that means you already have somebody lined up for the job."

"Charlie, don't make this difficult," Leland implored. "I need this to go smoothly."

"Why is that my problem?" Charlie questioned with incredulity.

"Okay, Charlie, tell me what you want?" Leland questioned sternly. "You want a seat on the council? Come next election I'll back you all the way. You're well liked in the community. That shouldn't be a problem."

"This isn't about my job, this is about your job," Charlie accused knowingly. "Somebody is pulling your chain."

"Charlie, there is always someone pulling the chain. That's the nature of politics," Leland lectured in a serious tone of voice. "One way or another you're out. You need to make the best of it. If you publicly challenge me on this you can take me down with you, and then you've got nothing. The next mayoral race is going to be the most expensive election in the history of Forks. There is new money coming into Forks and the people behind that money want things configured their way."

"And their way means they want me out?" Charlie questioned sternly.

"They want their guy in," Leland corrected. "This has nothing to do with you personally, Charlie. To them you're just a local boy managing a clubhouse. If I don't give them what they want, then they're just going to invest in someone who will."

Charlie took a moment to ponder this before responding.

"How long do I have?" Charlie questioned somberly.

"The new Chief of Police is scheduled to be in place at the beginning of next month."

Charlie nodded his head in the affirmative to demonstrate his understanding. He then stood up on his feet and looked down at nothing in particular.

"You'll have it on your desk by the end of the day, Monday," Charlie confirmed solemnly.

Charlie turned and made his way over to the doorway he came in through. He stood there for a moment without opening before turning about to look at Leland.

"Who's my replacement?"

Leland was reluctant to respond to this. Charlie quickly spoke up to relieve his anxiety.

"I think I have a right to know that much."

Leland gave Charlie a measured study before responding.

"I need to keep this between us for now," Leland softly insisted.

"Don't worry; I won't tell anyone before you can make your big announcement."

Leland breathed a soft sigh of relief.

"His name is Detective Wayne Hilborn," Leland reported after a brief time. "He's a thirty-five-year veteran of the Seattle P.D."

Charlie acknowledged the report with a nod of his head.

"So, some fat Seattle Detective, with influential friends, is looking for a soft spot to retire to and I'm being kicked out to sweeten some back room deal you've got going?"

Leland had no response to this. Charlie turned about, opened the door and started to leave.

"Charlie," Leland called out tentatively.

Charlie stopped in the doorway and looked back in response to his call.

"I thought I would make an announcement at noon the day before," Leland continued. "It might help to smooth things over if you were there to say a few words,"

"I don't think so, Leland," Charlie answered after a moment of thought. "That's a party you're going to have to throw without me."

Charlie exited the study, closing the door behind him.


	5. Hopes and Fears

Nessie caught up with her friends in the park later that afternoon. Edie was more than a little miffed by her late arrival. She angrily demanded an explanation behind clinched teeth. This only amused Nessie. Her spirits were too high now to be irritated by something someone else said or did. Earlier that afternoon, she spent nearly an hour in the home of Sean Bowden and came away enriched with happiness for the experience.

After helping Sean unload the goods that he purchased at the hardware store, Nessie dallied in his house by contriving things to talk about. Sean was uncomfortable about her being there, but he was at first reluctant to order her out from his home. He spent the most part of the time that she was there deliberately showing little interest in the successive train of subjects that Nessie rambled on about. He finally extricated her from his house with a stern statement declaring her presence there inappropriate.

Nessie was not offended by this. She not only knew that she was pushing at the boundary of propriety, but she was doing so on purpose. Sean's reluctant responses to her conversation had no effect on this. It was not what Sean was saying or not saying that was driving her. It was the unease that he was displaying that motivated her every move and gesture.

Nessie Cullen was very much a girl's, girl. She was quite capable of toying with a man's affinity for her when she wanted to. It had been almost two years when she was last so amused with the attentions of someone of the opposite sex. Sean's unease and uncomfortable glances confirmed for Nessie that he was very much attracted to her.

Nessie left Sean's house with a smile and a promise to return next Saturday to help him with the painting. Sean quickly objected to that idea, but Nessie merely giggled at that and glided out the door.

Nessie spent the rest of that afternoon in the company of her friends. The entertainment for that day was an impromptu party in the park. While this event was not planned, hence the impromptu, it was a fairly routine occurrence. With little to do to amuse themselves, the teenage population of Forks often took to parks to mingle and play.

Nessie quietly enjoyed the music and laughter, but she did little to add to the afternoon's entertainment. This did not go unnoticed by Edie, Pat and Carol. Halfway through the afternoon they ganged up and challenged her on this.

"What's wrong with you today?" Edie exclaimed with arms gestured out towards Nessie.

"What?" Nessie queried back with surprise in her voice.

"Your mind hasn't been here all day," Pat pointed out with an adamant tone of voice.

"Joey has been trying to get your attention for the past two hours and you've been acting like he isn't even there," Carol sharply annunciated.

"I've got things on my mind," Nessie softly defended with a smile.

"Well get them off your mind," Edie insisted. "If you don't, Rachel will be going to the prom with Joey, again, this year."

"I'm not going to the prom this year," Nessie responded with a sigh.

"Yeah, that's what you said last year," Carol blurted out with a laugh. "And then you went with Anthony."

"Anthony is sweet," Nessie defended with a large smile.

"Anthony, Nessie, really...?" Pat queried with amazement. "Joey is aching to go out with you."

Anthony was a charming young man, with a quirky sense of humor and a bent for comic-books. He was also far removed from the much taller and athletically endowed male members of Forks' student body.

"Rachel can have him," Nessie mused as she looked out across the distant horizon.

"You're going to regret this," Edie lectured. "You only go through high-school once. This is your chance to make memories here that will stay with you for the rest of your life."

"I suppose," Nessie softly agreed as she continued to study the horizon.

Pat, Carol and Edie took a moment and studied Nessie as if she were an alien from another planet. Shortly Nessie spoke up again with a thought that obviously had just popped into her head.

"What do you think of Mr. Bowden?"

Nessie's question clearly caught the trio by surprise. All three appeared to be slightly shocked and paused to ponder the question. Carol was the first to come to a response.

"Mr. Bowden, that's what you've been thinking about all afternoon?"

"Don't you think he's handsome?" Nessie questioned Carol with an alarmed tone.

"Yeah," Carol responded defensively, "but he's a teacher. He's probably got a wife or a girlfriend."

"No," Nessie responded with a smile. "No wife... no girlfriend... He was dating someone in Seattle, but it wasn't serious, I don't think."

Edie, Carol and Pat were instantly stunned and intrigued by Nessie's report.

"And how do you know this?" Edie questioned suspiciously.

"He told me," Nessie retorted with a smile.

"When...?" Pat questioned in an excited voice.

"A few hours ago," Nessie responded with a large smile.

"Okay, tell us everything," Carol insisted with urgency in her voice.

The trio closed in about Nessie as she related the events that transpired earlier that afternoon. They hung on to every word as Nessie recalled every detail and nuance of her time with Sean, except for one. She deliberately omitted her handshake with Sean.

**~~~** _line break_ **~~~**

As she was walking out the front door of Sean Bowden's home, Nessie spun about and extended her hand to him.

"Well in any case, welcome to Forks Mr. Bowden," Nessie proffered with a smile.

Eager to put this event behind him, Sean accepted her hand after a brief hesitation.

"Thank you," Sean answered back as he gave her hand a shake.

Nessie quickly wheeled about the instant the handshake came apart and walked away with a still larger smile on her face. Unbeknownst to Sean, Nessie was a vampire/human hybrid who had mastered her vampire father's knack for extracting the thoughts from the minds of others. Unlike Edward she required physical contact to affect this. What Sean did not know was that Nessie had just walked away with the last thought in his head before her exit.

_My god, this girl is as pretty as it gets._

**~~~** _line break_ **~~~**

It was early in the evening when Nessie returned home. The sun was halfway below the horizon. Long shadows darkened the landscape, despite the dim glow of the western sky. Her old Chevy pickup truck rumbled loudly to a stop within the enclosed space of the garage. The automatic door began to clamor shut as Nessie skipped across the garage and into the house. Her demeanor was happy and her every movement showed it.

Inside the house Nessie quickly detected the usual mixture of sounds. Charlie was in the living-room watching a baseball game while Li'l Phil played with a toy on the floor in front of him. She could hear Renee in the kitchen cleaning up after that evening's meal. Nessie quickly bounded into the living-room and stopped at a spot that was easily in Charlie's line of sight.

"Hi," Nessie announced herself with a large smile.

"Hi, how was your afternoon?" Charlie halfheartedly questioned as he quickly glanced her way and then back to the game.

Li'l Phil was already off the floor and racing towards her. Nessie quickly reached down, hoisted him off the floor and into her arms.

"Oh, my day was great," Nessie answered back to Charlie as she began to dance about in a circle with Li'l Phil.

"That's good," Charlie responded without looking away from the television.

"And have you been having fun?" Nessie queried Li'l Phil with a large smile.

"Yes," Li'l Phil answered back with a giggle.

"I bet you have. I bet you have." Nessie repeated as she tickled and twirled simultaneously.

Li'l Phil giggled profusely as she spun him around. After a brief time, Nessie stopped spinning, kissed Li'l Phil about his face and forehead and then set him on the floor. Li'l Phil immediately began to beg for more as Nessie turned and set off for the kitchen.

Renee had already finished pre-washing the dishes, loading them into the dishwasher and activating it. She had spent the past hour in the kitchen doing busy work. This was her primary way of avoiding spending long periods of time alone with Charlie. Nessie entered the kitchen while Renee was in the middle of scrubbing out the microwave.

"There's a plate in the oven for you," Renee reported the instant Nessie entered the kitchen.

Nessie did not hesitate. She turned towards the oven and immediately set off for it. Renee anticipated that she would be hungry. This was nearly a constant condition for Nessie.

"There's a salad in the refrigerator," Renee offered as almost an afterthought.

She knew that Nessie would devour the meat first and then turn on anything else edible on her plate and suspected that the salad would be overlooked if she did not tell her it was there.

Nessie quickly removed the plate from the oven, set it down on the island countertop and began consuming its contents, meat first. Renee paid little attention as she continued to clean.

When the Cullens left Forks, Renee settled into the role of the dutiful housewife and homemaker out of convenience. Living there, in forks, with Charlie and Nessie made it possible for her to devote the bulk of her time to Li'l Phil's developing years. It also became quickly apparent to her that Nessie was in need of her homemaking abilities as well. The feeling of being a vital part of this mixed and matched family unit had become nearly as alluring to her as was the idea of being Charlie's wife once again. It was only of late that she began to question her role in the latter. The feeling that she was not Mrs. Charlie Swan in affect was causing Renee to ruminate about leaving Charlie and Nessie.

"I am starving," Nessie declared between bites.

"Didn't you eat lunch at Sully's?" Renee queried with puzzlement.

"No, I kind of got sidetracked," Nessie reported with a smile.

"You went the whole afternoon without lunch?" Renee queried without looking. "I'm surprised you didn't take a bite out of somebody."

"Ha, ha..." Nessie responded in turn.

An instant later Nessie returned her attention to the food on her plate.

"What did you do this afternoon?" Renee questioned passively.

"We hung out at the park," Nessie responded shortly after swallowing.

"Just you and the girls...?" Renee questioned with only a passing interest.

"There were some boys there," Nessie answered with an equal amount of enthusiasm.

Renee enunciated an inquisitive "oh" as she continued to clean the microwave.

Nessie gave no notice to Renee's intrigue. Her own thoughts were too busy wandering onto a subject that she found much more amusing. She lingered on this thought for a short time before electing to share it with Renee.

"I think I'm in love."

Renee was alarmed by this remark and immediately stopped what she was doing.

"I take it we're not talking about Jacob?" Renee questioned gently.

"No, not Jacob," Nessie responded hesitantly. "I mean I do love Jacob, just not in that way."

"What do you mean, in that way?" Renee quietly queried as she closed the microwave door and moved over to the countertop island. Nessie suddenly had her full attention.

"When I see him, I get flushed," Nessie gushed out. "I lose my breath and I think about him all the time."

"That could be just a temporary infatuation," Renee cautiously suggested. "I wouldn't jump straight to love."

"I do love him," Nessie insisted defensively. "I've never felt like this about anyone before."

Renee took note of the passion in her tone and decided to back away from any further attempts to dissuade her that what she felt was love.

"So, does this young man have a name?" Renee asked after a pause.

Renee cleared away her empty plate while Nessie hesitated with her answer.

"Sean," Nessie carefully answered.

Nessie got up from her seat after that answer and went over to the cabinet near the sink. Renee pondered over the name Sean for a moment before responding.

"I don't think you ever spoke of a Sean before," Renee queried in a puzzled tone of voice.

"He's new," Nessie shortly explained as she removed a glass from the cabinet and went over to the refrigerator.

"Oh," Renee reflectively responded. "Well, does this Sean feel the same way about you?"

"I think so," Nessie answered as she poured herself a glass of milk. Without returning Renee's look, Nessie returned the carton to the refrigerator, gathered up her glass, spun away from Renee and made a hasty exit from the kitchen.

Renee was made more than a little suspicious by Nessie's nervous reaction to her question. She quickly elected to follow and pry a little more.

Nessie went back into the living-room. Charlie was still seated in his sofa chair watching the baseball game, with Li'l Phil snuggled next to him, asleep. She paused just inside the interior of the room to briefly watch the game. Renee shortly caught up with her and took a seat on the sofa.

Nessie was reluctant to go into details about Sean. She anticipated that she would be lectured about the impropriety of a union between her and her teacher. She was well aware that in appearance she and Sean, together was well outside the social norms. She was also aware that she was physically older than she looked, and she rationalized that this was all the justification she needed to pursue him. Beyond this, Nessie had not given any thought as to how a relationship between her and a mortal would progress or conclude was of no interest to her. She cared nothing for the consequences of her actions. She only knew how she felt, and she was prepared to endure any risk or price to experience the potential reward that came with embracing those feelings.

"So, Nessie, tell us about your new friend?" Renee spoke up for Charlie to hear.

Charlie barely took note of this inquiry as he continued to watch the game. Renee was not discouraged by this. She suspected that he would become increasingly intrigued as the details unfolded.

Renee was in the opposition of Nessie's view of things. She was very much concerned for her granddaughter and feared for her the consequences that would come with any prolonged relationship with a mortal. In Renee's mind Nessie was still a little girl emotionally and she was instinctively protective of her.

"There's nothing to tell," Nessie answered with unease.

"Well there's got to be something," Renee pushed back.

Nessie was suddenly alarmed by something. Renee had just finished speaking when Nessie leaned her head towards the front door of the house. Renee was alerted by this action. She knew that Nessie had heard something with that supernatural hearing of hers. She immediately stayed her inquiry so that she could study Nessie.

"They're here," Nessie announced with a large smile.

Charlie was alarmed by this announcement and quickly looked over to Nessie in response. No sooner had he done this did Nessie run off to the front door. Charlie immediately turned off the television and got up on his feet. Renee, just as quickly, got to her feet as well. Neither of them was unduly distressed by what was happening. This was an event that they both had been through many times in the past.

When Nessie snatched open the front door, she was happier than surprised to find Emmett and Rosalie calmly standing there in front of it.

"Hi," Nessie exclaimed with a great big smile.

Emmett charged right in, gathered Nessie up into a great big hug and twirled her around.

"Hi yourself," Emmett bellowed with a grin.

Emmett shortly set her down and Rosalie quickly took Nessie into her arms.

"Hi Aunt Rose," Nessie gleefully cried out.

"How are you doing, Baby?" Rosalie questioned with equal enthusiasm.

"I'm okay," Nessie answered back.

Rosalie backed away to look at Nessie.

"You haven't grown a bit since I last saw you," Rosalie reported after a moment of study.

"No, I think this is all you're going to get out of me," Nessie responded with a laugh.

"That's okay," Rosalie responded back. "You're perfect just the way you are."

"Come on in," Nessie encouraged as she led the way towards the living-room. Emmett closed the front door and brought up the rear.

In the living-room, Charlie and Renee waited for the two Cullens to enter. They had never become fully comfortable in the presence of the vampires. Bella was an exception to this, for the most part.

"Hi," Renee welcomed with a smile.

Charlie quickly followed her lead with a "hi" of his own.

"Hi," Emmett and Rosalie chorused back.

Renee immediately offered Emmett and Rosalie a seat. They both quickly accepted in turn.

A visit with Renee and Charlie by the Cullens, Bella excluded, was usually more of a meeting. The Cullens would report on the status of the peninsula and the family in general to Charlie and Renee. Their private visits with Nessie invariably took place in the little cottage that the Cullens had built as a gift to Bella and Edward. Occasionally, the Cullens and Nessie would take long excursions into the forest together, often with a shapeshifter or two in tow.

Emmett and Rosalie reported on this day that the rest of the family was returning to the vicinity. Charlie and Renee were mildly intrigued to hear this, but Nessie was slightly alarmed.

"What's happening?" Nessie quickly questioned for an explanation.

Nessie knew that her vampire family did not care to be hiding away in the little family cottage outside of Forks. Like all vampires, they preferred to mingle among the mortals. They elected to limit their presence to the forests on the Olympic Peninsula because their faces were familiar to many within the communities there. It was for this reason that they took rotating shifts on the peninsula, two at a time. The idea that all eight, of the Cullen family of vampires, would be there at the same time made Nessie suspicious about the motivations behind this assembly.

"Everything is okay, Nessie," Rosalie quickly soothed. "The family is just convening to talk over a situation that's developing."

"Is the peninsula in danger?" Charlie quickly challenged for a response.

"The peninsula is fine, Charlie," Emmett reassured.

"Then why are you all coming?" Nessie queried with concern in her voice. "What's happening?"

Rosalie leaned forward as she prepared to give her explanation.

"There's a rogue coven in South America that is operating without regards for any rules or boundaries."

"How's that your problem?" Charlie quickly questioned.

"Yeah well, that's the question," Emmett cavalierly responded.


	6. Rumors and Revelations

Rosalie and Emmett finished their visit with Charlie, Renee, Nessie and Li'l Phil early that night. This first visit was a formality, the purpose of which was to announce their presence on the peninsula. Future visits with Nessie would occur at her discretion. Now that she knew they were there, in the cottage, she was free to run over at any time. When her visits extended outside of the cottage, they would hike the mountains and run through the forests. This was pretty much the only activity they could do without leaving the peninsula, much to the regret of Nessie. She greatly wanted to travel the world and visit exciting new places with her vampire relations.

Nessie loved Charlie and Renee, but she loved her vampire relations even more and she missed them when they were not there. Her time with them during the first year of her life cemented a bond between her and them that she had yet to duplicate with her grandparents. She dreamed of being a vampire like her parents and feared it at the same time. Nessie desperately wanted to share in their adventures and to mingle in their world, but she was becoming increasingly reluctant to sacrifice any part of her humanity to have it.

Per usual for Nessie, she chose the next day to continue her visit with Emmett and Rosalie. At the break of dawn, she ran out of the house, through the forest and raced up to the front door of the little brick cottage that was standing alone in a small clearing. Rosalie and Emmett had already heard her approach and were waiting just inside the doorway. They quickly took her into their arms, one after the other, and then ushered her into the cottage family room.

"So, tell me, is it really true... the whole family is going to be here at the same time?" Nessie queried with glee.

"Tomorrow, that's right," Rosalie reported with a smile.

Nessie was overwhelmed with excitement. It seemed like it had been forever since she was last in the middle of the whole of the Cullen family.

The vampire members of the Cullen family made plans to assemble on the peninsula the Monday that followed to discuss a matter they needed to vote on. Bella, Edward, Alice and Jasper were arriving from off the continent. Carlisle and Esme were already in the region. They were the last occupants of the cottage and had been so for the past two of months. They were off the peninsula at present and would likely be arriving Monday from Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. This was the closes city to Forks where the Cullens openly mingled among the humans.

The Cullens had made a permanent home in the northwestern corner of the Continental United States and the southwestern corner of Canada. There were several reasons for this. Nessie was foremost among these. The Cullens, Bella and Edward most of all, wanted to share in her few developing years. The Cullens were also protective of this region because of Nessie, Charlie, Renee, the Quileutes and the community of Forks in general.

The Cullens had taken to maintaining a physical presence on the peninsula three years earlier. It was decided that Bella's and Edward's cottage was the ideal place to house themselves during their stay there. Per a promise made to Charlie, Renee and Nessie, they kept it occupied by a member of the family so that it could be used as a point of contact. 

Because of this prolonged fixed residency to a relatively small geographical area, by vampire standards, the Cullens elected to live a traditional vampire coven existence, for the most part. With the exceptions of Nessie, Charlie, Renee and the Quileute shapeshifters, they avoided human interaction on the Olympic Peninsula at all times, and within the region as much as possible. They did this because they knew that all who knew them as the Cullens, but not as vampires, would eventually become suspicious of this never aging family. During the century past the Cullens avoided this problem by rotating their pretend human existence to varied, and distant, geographical locations every ten years.

While the Cullens maintained a permanent presence about Forks, they rarely numbered more than two on the Olympic Peninsula at any given time. Globetrotting about the planet to enjoy the many sights and events going on around the world was a favorite pastime of vampires and the Cullens were no exception to this.

Visiting other covens was another popular activity of vampires. The Cullens indulged in this too, but not to the extent that most other vampires did. Their abstinence from taking human prey made them feel uncomfortable in the presence of most covens that had no such constraints.

The Cullens, like all vampires, frequently mingled within the community of mortals. Money was a necessity for these outings and was an easy enough commodity for vampires to come by. Stealing it was by far the quickest and easiest way of acquiring money and was perfectly suitable for brief adventures into the society of mortals. However, thefts sizeable enough to finance a long-term residency attracted the attentions of the human law enforcement community. To avoid this problem, vampires often did commerce in high value, rare and one-of-a-kind items. Such things were far easier for them to acquire than it was for mortals. This was simply a matter of experience. There were many vampires who were alive when these items went lost. The Cullens amassed much of their fortune through Carlisle’s storehouse of knowledge regarding the locations of ancient and priceless artifacts. Illegal items were even easier for a vampire to profit from. Cash-strapped vampires, living among humans, were commonplace purveyors of illegal goods.

For the purposes of secrecy, the Cullens, and vampires in general, always limited these dealings to private collectors and black-market entrepreneurs. They sold artifacts and materials, which were useless to them, to the back-alley peddlers of the mortal world. This was the second most common way for a vampire to buy their way into the society of humans. The most common method was simply to barter with the one commodity that was uniquely theirs to sell, immortality. These were nearly always a very profitable transaction for the vampire, far less so for the human. After the mortal had signed over the bulk of his or her wealth, he or she was shortly turned or destroyed at the vampire's pleasure. More often than not, the latter was the case. Of course, this was not a methodology that the Cullens prescribed to.

Nessie spent the morning querying Rosalie and Emmett about their adventures and answering their queries about the past year of her life. She deliberately excluded Sean Bowden from her narrative. She feared that her vampire relations would also be concerned about this infatuation with a mortal. The Cullens had coached her in the past to be careful about what she said or did around anyone outside of the family.

Shortly after one in the afternoon, Nessie abandoned her aunt and uncle to spend some time with her friends. She did this reluctantly. It took three phone calls from Edie, and Rosalie's insistence that she go and have fun, to convince her to separate from them. Even though Edie's pestering calls pulled her away from the afternoon she wanted to have, Nessie enjoyed herself with her friends.

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

Charlie and Renee spent the day avoiding one-another, for the most part. It was shortly after three in the afternoon when Renee noticed that Charlie was not in his usual baseball transfixed behavior. He had been sitting in front of the television for nearly an hour when she suddenly became aware that there was no sound coming from him. There was no explosion of excitement when someone got a hit or was miraculously thrown out. She had just gotten Li'l Phil napping in his bed when curiosity got the best of her. Renee ventured into the living-room to find out why Charlie was so uninvolved with the game. To her bewilderment Renee found Charlie sitting in his sofa chair, staring off into empty space while the television broadcasted to same.

Renee knew from experience that something serious had to be distracting Charlie from his favorite pastime. Suddenly her own dilemma became secondary to problem that was so disturbing to Charlie. Despite the feeling of being taken for granted by the man that she loved, Renee had no control over her feelings for him. Her desire to soothe away the problem that was distressing him overwhelmed all other considerations within her.

"What is it, Charlie?" Renee questioned as she approached him.

Renee took a seat on the end of the sofa nearest to him and angled herself in his direction. Charlie looked to Renee as he paused to consider her question. He quickly concluded that he should not keep anything from her. He confessed to himself that their futures were entwined and that she deserved to know about anything that could or would drastically change the course of that future.

"I'm being fired from my job," Charlie responded solemnly after muting the sound from the television.

Renee was immediately stunned by this report. Her thoughts toyed with the idea that Charlie was either joking or mistaken.

"Leland wouldn't do that," Renee emphatically replied after taking a pause to consider. "You're friends."

"He's given me the option to resign," Charlie explained.

"Well, you're not going to do it," Renee sternly urged.

"I have to," Charlie pensively answered back. "He doesn't need my resignation. He's the mayor. He can fire me."

"And cut his own throat in the process," Renee argued back. "This town loves you."

"He doesn't have any choice," Charlie quickly corrected. "He will fire me and this whole thing could get ugly if I don't play ball."

"Let it," Renee insisted. "You're the one being fired."

Charlie took a pause to study Renee and to give her a hint of a smile.

"I'm out, Renee," Charlie softly responded. "There's no way around it. I have to make the best of this."

Renee took a moment to ponder Charlie's words before accepting his decision.

"Charlie, I'm sorry," Renee responded with sympathy in her voice.

Renee had no particular fondness for Charlie's job as the Chief of Police of Forks. This was a lingering prejudice from her younger years when she was somewhat of a rebel. More than one person who was present when she and Charlie got married, two decades earlier, thought that the two of them were prime examples that opposites do attract. In reality it was not so much a philosophical difference that made them opposites back then. It was more a difference in mindsets. Charlie knew where he wanted to go with his life and how he planned to get there. Renee's compass, at the time, was uncertain, to say the least. It was Charlie's determination to achieve his goal that most attracted Renee to him. It was several years after their marriage that she began to question the wisdom of hitching her future to someone who seemed to be processing his life through a punch clock.

Charlie's understanding of law enforcement was intricate and thorough. He had his life, within this profession, plotted out all the way down to becoming the Chief of Police one day. Law enforcement was an avocation he had set his sights on from as early as twelve years of age. This was not motivated by some ambition to engage and arrest violent felons. The impetus behind his career choice was a desire to be an esteemed member of the community.

Over time, Renee's understanding of law enforcement expanded as well, and she began to perceive a life spent policing others as tedious and dull. Her ambitions and desires for herself grew, as this vision of a long, monotonous, and dreary future as a police officer's wife sharpened into focus. She increasingly came to detest the daily, after work, reports on the seedier parts of the community and the peninsula. Despite this growing displeasure with this life that laid ahead for her, Renee still loved Charlie for his passion for this job, but at the end of their marriage she could no longer share that passion with him.

Now that Charlie was facing the end of a life's pursuit, a goal that he devoted more than thirty years to achieving, Renee could not help but worry for the man who always had a star to steer by. Suddenly her concern for him overruled all other thoughts or issues. Renee got up onto her feet and stepped towards Charlie; until her legs were brushing against the side of his chair. She then took his hand into hers. After a moment of reflection, with their eyes locked in a stare, Renee lowered herself into Charlie's lap, clasped his head into her hands and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Okay then, we'll make do without being the Chief of Police," Renee spoke up with verve. "It's their loss."


	7. Return of the Cullens

It was the break of dawn when Bella and Edward raced across the Canadian border into Washington State. Barefoot, with shoes in hand, they darted between the trees at their best speeds. They knew from experience that the long distance of this sprint was sure to rip apart the delicate construction of the casual shoes they came with. This was not an error in wardrobe choice. This was a tried and true method for preserving the attire of a vampire on the move.

The air was cool and crisp, not that they noticed. It could have been freezing cold and still it would have no difference to them. The state of the weather was the concern of mortals. Bella and Edward had shed themselves of such considerations when they became vampires.

Despite the pink and gray overcast sky, the land below was covered in black from the shadows of the terrain. The air was still, except for the wake that Bella and Edward left behind them as they streaked through the wilderness northeast of Seattle, along the base of the Cascade Range. They started their trek from Vancouver, British Columbia. This was the end of the last leg of their flight from Glasgow Scotland. The Cullens mutually agreed to abstain from interacting with humans any closer to Forks then there. Vancouver was their port of entry.

The Cullens had no qualms about this, Bella least of all. They enjoyed the run, and the play associated with it, when they shared the journey with an agreeable companion. This day's companion was very agreeable for Bella, and vice versa. Bella and Edward were ecstatically in love, and they cherished every chance to express it. Time had yet to dull their passion for one-another. This came as a bit of a surprise to the rest of the family. Like any hobby that a vampire had, their enthusiasm always waned after a time. This never meant that they lost their affinity for the activity. It simply meant they were bored with it for the time being, and needed to entertain new interest. This was also true of relationships between vampires.

In one-way vampires were like shapeshifters, with regard to their mating habits. Vampires, in almost all cases, romantically bonded exclusively to one other being. However, for them, this was a matter of indifference rather than compulsion. A vampire's advanced intellect and thought processes tended to trivialize emotions. Their minds invariably dissected and catalogued these feelings within a millisecond before brushing them aside. Once they did become emotionally attached to someone, they lost interest in pursuing these feelings outside of their chosen partner. The romantic tie between vampire mates quickly came into sync and over time it ebbed and flowed in unison, but it was never known to falter between them.

Bella's and Edward's tide of passion had been going strong for the past three years. Rosalie, on more than one occasion suggested that something was physically wrong with the two of them. This was more jest than true concern. Her own newly mated period with Emmett lasted better than two years. Edward had a hard time being in the same room with them. After a year of this he found the constant touching, spooning and giggling annoying in the extreme. Rosalie had reached this point with him and Bella within the first six months. Their new transient lifestyle, gratefully, gave her the means to distance herself from their constant love play. Without a fixed home and identity to maintain, the Cullens were free to travel far and wide, and to change their identities with each move.

Bella and Edward had traveled more than seventy miles in the thirty minutes that passed since sunrise. The sky had brightened considerably during this time. The varied colors of the landscape were beginning to show over the tops of the receding early morning shadows. Bella's and Edward's run through the forest might have looked like a game of tag to someone quick enough of eye to discern what they were seeing. In reality it was a race and the participants were greatly amused by the run. Their laughter, stretched out across a thousand yards, sounded across the landscape like the haunting play of ghostly spirits.

There was only one goal involved in this sport, and that was to stay ahead in their run. They raced along parallel paths, zigzagging through whichever tract of land they estimated to be the fastest to traverse. The lead between them switched back and forth once and sometimes twice a minute. They were in no great hurry to reach their destination. They estimated their arrival outside of Forks would occur shortly before noon. This frolic through the woods was calculated into this time frame.

Racing through challenging terrain was a popular diversion for vampires. The speed of an exceptional runner could easily be offset by the choice of ground he or she chose to traverse. For Bella and Edward, this sporting event often doubled as foreplay.

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

"Hi, Mom," Bella gleefully called out from behind Renee.

"What?" Renee shouted as she quickly spun around with a startled expression on her face and her hands in the air.

"Bella, don't do that," Renee admonished. "You know I don't like it when you do that."

"Sorry, Mom," Bella responded with a laugh.

"Hi, Renee," Edward greeted from a step behind Bella.

"Hi, Edward," Renee answered back pleasantly.

It was twenty minutes after eleven in the morning and Renee was in the kitchen folding the wash. Sneaking up on her was a privilege that only Bella presumed to have. All the other members of the Cullen family of vampires would not think to enter Renee's home without first getting her permission. In actuality, Bella was not trying to be sneaky. Her enthusiasm would simply get the best of her, from time to time, and she would race into the house with the speed and grace that only a vampire could affect. Thumping around like a mortal required a conscious effort on her part. Being that attentive to the minutia of appearing human defeated the benefits that came with having no secrets from her parents.

"I don't know why you can't just drive up in a car," Renee fussed as Bella gave her a hug.

"Aren't you glad to see me?" Bella questioned with a smile as she continued to hold Renee in her arms.

"Of course I am," Renee answered back in a perplexed tone of voice.

Renee embraced Bella's hug briefly and then they both backed away. She then quickly stepped over to Edward and gave him a short, unreserved hug.

"So, is Dad at work?" Bella cheerfully questioned.

"Of course, where else..." Renee flatly responded.

"So, where's Li'l Phil?" Bella queried boisterously.

"Your daughter took him to the cottage," Renee reported back.

"Oh, okay, so how are you doing?" Bella queried with excitement.

"I'm fine. No complaints."

"That's great, Mom," Bella bellowed with a smile. "I knew being a stay at home mom would agree with you."

"That might not have been the best advice under the circumstances," Renee replied partially under her breath.

"What does that mean," Bella quickly inquired after detecting a subtle change in the tenor of her voice that suggested sadness.

"I just mean, getting back into the job market later on might be a little difficult," Renee responded in a slightly defensive tone.

Bella detected this shift in Renee's speech pattern again, but neglected to call her on it. She knew that Edward was reading the untold story and would clarify it later.

After a moment of pause Bella queried her mother again.

"How's dad?"

"He's..." Renee hesitated to answer. "Your father is fine," Renee completed in a calm voice.

"Is there something wrong?" Bella pressed suspiciously.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about," Renee placated.

"Let me decide what to be concerned about," Bella gently insisted.

"Charlie will tell you when he's ready," Renee softly pushed back.

Bella hesitated to ponder this response. Renee quickly took advantage of the pause.

"So what's the big powwow about? Rosalie and Emmett said something about trouble in South America."

"There's nothing to worry about," Edward quickly interjected. "We're just here to talk as a family. We can't do that anywhere but here."

"So you're not thinking about doing any fighting or anything like that?" Renee questioned anxiously.

"No, Mom," Bella reassured. "This is just a family meeting."

"A vampire family meeting," Renee corrected.

"Everything is okay, Mom," Bella insisted derisively. "Trust me."

"Sorry, I just thought I should ask."

"We're okay," Bella reiterated with a smile. "We're just going to visit with each other for a while and talk about what's going on in the vampire world."

"Whatever you say," Renee agreed with a sneer.

"Okay, Mom, we're going to run over to the cottage," Bella spoke back with a hint of exasperation. "I'll see you later."

"Tell Nessie to get Phil in here for his lunch," Renee quickly instructed before Bella could get away.

"Okay," Bella agreed as she and Edward left the kitchen.

During the course of her conversation with Bella and Edward, Renee had briefly considered bringing up the topic of Nessie's romantic feelings towards a mortal. She elected not to out of regard for the family meeting that brought them here. She did not want to risk distracting them from their primary concern at present.

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

"Mom," Nessie shouted as Bella raced into the cottage family room. Edward was a step behind her.

The instant they stopped, Nessie leapt up from her seat, clasped Bella about the neck with both arms and gave her a powerful hug.

"Hi," Bella barely got out before Nessie's hug muffled her.

Nessie shortly released her hold on Bella and jumped into Edwards arms with an identical hold.

"Hi, Dad," Nessie exclaimed as she squeezed into his embrace.

"Hi, beautiful, how have you been?" Edward queried as he lifted her several inches above the floor.

"I'm fine," Nessie responded with glee. "I'm so happy to see you all."

Edward placed Nessie back upon her feet and began pushing her away.

"Let me get a look at you," Edward urged as Nessie stepped back.

"Wow! You haven't grown a bit," Edward declared with a great big smile.

"Yeah, Dad, this is it," Nessie reported with a grin.

Seated in the room about them were Jasper, Alice, Carlisle, Esme, Emmett and Rosalie. Li'l Phil had been comfortably situated in Esme's lap before Bella and Edward's entrance. He immediately began to wiggle out of Esme's hold at the first sight of them. After climbing down to the floor, he raced over to Bella with both arms extended into the air.

"Hi," Li'l Phil sang out as he approached.

"Hi little brother," Bella responded back as she hoisted him off the floor and into her arms. "And how have you been doing?"

"Okay," Li'l Phil answered back with a giggle.

Immediately after this initial greeting the Cullen family of vampires exchanged their greetings with a mixture of hugs, waves and salutations. As soon as this was completed Edward and Bella set themselves in the chairs that had been positioned in the room for them.

Nessie was eager to relate the events that had transpired in her life and to inquire about the adventures that had transpired in theirs, but thought better of bringing it up at that moment. She knew that her vampire relations had business to discuss. She also thought that a better time for their reminiscing would be when Charlie and Renee were present. She also suspected that they would not feel completely free to talk about whatever it was that brought them all there while she and Li'l Phil were in the room.

"Okay then, I'm going to take the munchkin, here, back to the house," Nessie announced as she lifted Li'l Phil out of Bella's lap and into her arms. "And I'll leave you guys alone to talk."

"Thanks, baby," Bella quickly conferred as Nessie turned for the front door of the cottage.

"Bye," Bella called out to Li'l Phil with a wave.

"Bye," Li'l Phil waved back to Bella at first and then to everyone in the room. "Bye," he repeated several times more as the room full of vampires waved and spoke their good-byes to him.

Nessie left the cottage without any concern for what she might have been missing. She was confident that she would be able to piece together the bulk of anything they said by applying a little charm as she polled them all later, one by one.

"So, what's going on in Chile?" Edward queried the room.

"Apparently there's a coven of vampires down there that have gone way off the reservation," Emmett jokingly answered back.

"Do we know them?" Edward looked to Carlisle with his query.

"Nobody comes to mind," Carlisle responded with nary a thought.

"Nobody seems to know them," Jasper announced to the room.

"Is this really something we should concern ourselves with?" Esme questioned no one in particular. "There has to be other covens closer to them than us."

"The Amazon Coven tried, but Kachiri said she couldn't find them," Carlisle blandly reported.

"How can they not find them?" Emmett bellowed. "They're butchering mortals all over Chile and leaving their bodies in the streets for everyone to see."

"Patagonia," Jasper shortly corrected.

"What?" Emmett bluntly questioned back.

"They're victims, so far, have all been in the Patagonian region along the Chile and Argentinean border."

"Thanks Jasper," Emmett sarcastically threw out. "That makes all the difference in the world."

"The fact remains," Carlisle spoke up. "If the Amazon Coven couldn't find them then there must be something extra special about this coven.

"So we're the new vampire police?" Rosalie questioned sarcastically.

"We did bump off Aro and Caius," Jasper answered back, "and they are in our hemisphere. Someone has to do something."

The room briefly went quiet as everyone pondered this. Bella shortly came to a question and she looked to Alice for the answer.

"What do you think, Alice?"

"I think, maybe, someone has already tried to do something," Alice answered back cautiously.

"What does that mean?" Emmett quickly challenged.

"I don't know," Alice responded with continued discretion. "But I think we're going to hear something soon."

"From who," Esme directly asked?

"I can't be sure," Alice answered reluctantly.

"Guess," Rosalie asserted.

"The Volturi."


	8. Volterra

It was late in the evening and the sun was minutes away from descending below Volterra's western horizon. There was no sound to be echoed off the brick encased antechamber of the Volturi Coven. Light shined directly through the narrow openings high upon the west side of the enclosure, beamed across the room and emblazoned long rectangular patterns upon the opposing wall. Silence was not a normal state for this chamber, despite the loss of Aro and Caius, the previous masters of this dwelling. The remaining members of the Volturi continued to make claim of the Tuscany region of Italy and to base their residency there within the community of Volterra. Jane and Alec inherited the positions of lead vampires without opposition from within, or derision from without.

After the demise of Aro and Caius nearly everyone within the vampire community anticipated the Volturi Coven disbanding. It was suspected that the coven would dissolve away without the use of blood poisoning to hold them together. When this did not happen, Jane and Alec were instinctively perceived as the obvious successors of the Volturi leadership by all who were inclined to be interested in their affairs.

It was the mutual history and the shared predicament of the Volturi who survived their last encounter with the Olympic Coven that tied them to each other. Except for Marcus, the surviving members of the coven felt no need to go anywhere else. Despite being manipulated by Aro, Caius and Marcus they were at home within each other's company. There were some adjustments that were made with regards to their interpersonal relationships, but this was quickly achieved, if not easily so.

The remaining members of the Volturi Coven suddenly had a feeling of dependency upon one-another. While they were under the influence of the blood poisoning, they only felt an obligation of obedience to their masters. Their feelings toward strangers and casual acquaintances were often indifference, unless shaped by their masters to be otherwise. Even the bond between Jane and Alec, as brother and sister, was potentially malleable to the will of Aro, Caius and Marcus. This, however, was a power that they never chose to exercise. So long as they both were in their possession, Aro, Caius and Marcus perceived no need to test the strength of their control in this way. Where there was no personal bond between the blood poisoned members of the Volturi, there was a mutual interest, the preservation of the coven. When they did differ about something, they invariably quibbled as if they were vampire children. In this new configuration as a freely assembled coven, the quibbling was replaced with discussion, and indifference replaced with allegiance.

Marcus' decision to detach himself from the Volturi was motivated by the fact that he had no real kinship with the others, and he suspected they would come to despise him once the poison wore off. During the night of his last encounter with the Olympic Coven, Marcus separated himself from the coven that he helped make. His whereabouts was not generally known, and neither was his condition.

The absence of Aro's storehouse of intelligence about all that was happening in the vampire world gave everyone within that community a sensation of having breathing room. They were, however, still inclined to give deference to Jane and Alec and the Volturi Coven as a whole. Outside of the Olympic Coven there was no other group of vampires that was feared more.

The Volturi did little to cultivate this fear over the three years since the demise of Aro and Caius. The constant need to assert their authority, often without cause, dissolved away with the blood poisoning. For several months after the deaths of Aro and Caius, the Volturi had no real desire to interfere in the affairs of others and were reluctant to do anything that might anger the Olympic Coven. This, however, did not stop the other members of the vampire community from calling on them to tender their weight in a conflict. The reputation of Jane and Alec was the reason behind the vampire community's continued obeisance to the Volturi.

The only vampires in existence at this time that did not know of Jane and Alec, and the abilities at their command, were newly made vampires. All who did know of them, continued to regard them as two of the most powerful vampires ever made. Over time Jane and Alec began to relish their positions of authority, Jane more so than Alec.

The Olympic Coven was well known for its disinterest in the vampire world at large. In the absence of controls from them, the reputations of Jane and Alec continued to align covens behind their authority. The rule of law that guided most covens was still measured by what did or did not displease the Volturi. This status as the authoritarian heads of the bulk of the vampire community came with responsibilities. Resolving conflicts and reigning in rampant vampires was the expected behavior for a coven in this position. Prior to this date there had been four events over the past three years that the Volturi found serious enough to draw them into the discord. This day was their return from the fifth intervention.

Jane stormed into the chamber, pushing the double doors wide apart. She streaked across the room at the speed of a blur before stopping to turn around and fume back at the path that she took. An instant later Efren streaked into the room and placed himself along the wall to her right; followed by Gerard, who placed himself along the wall to her left; and then Alec, who place himself opposite her. Each appeared a second behind the one before. They came to stops at near equal spacing about the perimeter of the room, expressing upon their faces looks of anger and frustration.

Instantly the room stilled into a silence, as all eyes present seemingly searched the floor for an invisible answer to an unspoken question. After a dozen seconds had passed Efren broke the silence.

"How do we fix this?"

"There's no fixing this," Gerard argued back. "We're broken. We can't hide this."

"We can't do this anymore," Alec sternly interjected. "Felix, Demetri and Renata were too valuable to our number. Their loss cannot be replaced."

All eyes turned to Jane for her opinion on the subject. Still fuming she scanned the faces about her. Several seconds later she countered with her own thoughts.

"We have to find out who these vampires are," Jane insisted.

"We can't go back there," Alec quickly asserted.

"If we don't take care of this, all of the covens are going to think we got beat," Jane yelled back.

"We were beat, Jane," Alec argued. "We're lucky to have survived. That's about as beat as you can get."

"We can't let ourselves be usurped by another coven," Jane roared back.

"This is not our problem," Alec insisted. "Let the Olympic Coven take care of it."

"The Olympic Coven does nothing," Jane fumed back at him. "They care for nothing outside of their own domain."

Alec watched as Jane began to pace off the anger that was fueling her rant.

"You know what will happen here, Alec," Jane continued in a less strident tone of voice after a brief time. "The dominant coven makes the rules and those Patagonian vampires care nothing for the covenant. They are operating without any constraints. The entire vampire community will erupt into chaos if they are not checked."

Jane stopped and searched Alec for the effect of her words. He pondered for a moment in silence as he stared back at his sister.

"We may not survive another encounter with them," Alec responded after a brief time.

"I agree," Gerard spoke up. "Let some other coven deal with them. It's not just our law they're defying. They're at war with the majority of vampire everywhere."

"We are the Volturi," Jane spoke sternly. "If we do not resolve this then the vampire community will make their peace with this Patagonian Coven on their terms and then we will be the ones at war with the majority of vampires everywhere."

"There is no law that says we cannot make our peace with them as well," Alec rifled back.

Jane was not keen on being displaced from her position of authority. She enjoyed being revered and even feared by most vampires in existence. Being called on to resolve conflicts and subdue rabid vampires fed into her perception of self.

"If we do not do this, then the covenant will be shredded by these rabid vampires and the world of the humans will follow," Jane declared with deliberation. "The dominant coven makes the rules."

The covenant was rules of behavior authored by ancient vampires. The purpose of these rules was to protect the humans from vampires. The earliest vampires quickly learned that when humans were treated like chattel that existed solely for their consumption, they lost the will to live, and to multiply. To prevent this from happening, the first article of the covenant mandated that the existence of vampires be kept a secret from humans. Despite this mandate, there was always a large minority of vampires waiting in the wings to descend upon the human populace without regard for anyone else's laws. Keeping these vampires reticent to act on this desire was the function of the covens that supported the covenant. Over the centuries the weight of enforcement became increasingly dependent upon the strength of the most powerful coven that was defending it. The dominant coven ruled and for the past two thousand the years, the Volturi was that coven.

"Okay," Alec relented after taking a long pause to consider. "But the next time we come face to face with this Patagonian Coven, we need to be better prepared for what we find."

"Agreed," Jane quickly responded.

"And how do we do that?" Efren queried no one in particular.

"Gerard, you said you recognized one of them," Jane sharply questioned.

"His name is Claude," Gerard answered back. "I knew him briefly when he was with the Rhone Coven."

"But he couldn't make himself appear invisible then," Alec reiterated what Gerard had already told them.

"Not that I ever saw," Gerard confirmed in a puzzled tone of voice. "He did have an uncanny knack for knowing when another vampire was near, even when they were hiding."

"That doesn't explain what they were doing in Chile," Efren pondered out loud. "It wasn't just him. It was all of them."

"Something changed him," Alec mumbled to no one in particular

"We have to find out what happened between then and now," Jane instructed all present. "We need to have a talk with Kadin."


	9. Wheeling and Dealings

In Forks, Washington, Nessie returned to school the next day with a giddy eagerness. The sole reason for her excitement was the prospect of seeing Sean again. Not even the presence of her parents on the peninsula competed with this. Bella and Edward took no note of Nessie's extra enthusiasm for school. They simply passed it off as senior year excitement and were happy all the more for her. This was not because of any high hopes regarding college admissions applications or after school career success. The Cullens were aware that Nessie's life would be very much like their own. They knew that Nessie's academic success would have a minor bearing on the quality of her life. The happiness the Cullens were experiencing for her was because of the fun she was having. This was a part of human life they wanted for her.

Nessie's participation in her calculus class was enthusiastic. When she was not being the perfect student, she doted on her teacher; much as you would expect to see from an admiring fan. Sean in turn, endured Nessie's amorous attentions as stoically as possible. This was not because he was annoyed by the attention. Nessie was not the first school girl to develop a crush on him. She was not even the only girl in the school to be so enamored with him or even in the class that Nessie was in. Nessie was, however, the only schoolgirl who excited in him strong amorous feelings in return.

Nessie went through the week cheerfully skipping off to school and then racing back home to spend the evening with her vampire relations. She continued to conceal her enraptured condition with the vampires in her life and to play it down with the humans in it. Renee was not at all confused by this. Nessie's enthralled interest in attending school seemed out of place to her given the recent arrival of her parents. Renee, more so than the Cullens, had a feel for the difference in Nessie with and without her parents nearby. Despite her concern over Nessie's infatuation she saw no reason to be reactionary; after all, he was just a boy at school.

Nessie occupied little of Charlie's thoughts over the next week. When he was not thinking about his future, which was much of the time, he was relishing his time with Bella. They communed often when he was home. Charlie's worry for her and the life that she had chosen gave him no end of questions for her. He inquired, primarily, about her adventures and studied her responses. He searched for any indicators that she was unhappy with the choice she made. He was always relieved to find there were none.

Charlie was not the only one fishing for answers. Bella took note of her father's introspection and queried about it on several occasions. Charlie brushed off her inquiries with the report that he was tired from work. Bella was never convinced by this and became all the more suspicious when Edward advised that Charlie planned to tell her in his own time. This was a popular answer from Edward when he was reluctant to betray the thoughts of someone else.

Bella had no recourse with Edward when she ran into this wall. She knew from experience that her husband would only retreat from this position when something changed that made the telling obligatory. Her backup plan to resolve this problem was always to entreat an equally formidable resource.

Alice seldom shared Edward's scruples about sharing the secrets of others to her family of vampires. Charlie, Renee and Nessie had become recent minor exceptions to this. When Bella first asked about Charlie, she had no news to report and quickly advised her that much. It took Alice another hour of musing about Charlie to necessitate a revision to that report.

"Charlie is fine, Bella," Alice spoke pleasantly. "He just has a lot on his mind."

"I know that, Alice," Bella responded testily. "I want to know what is on his mind."

"I think Edward is right," Alice responded softly. "This is something Charlie should tell you when he's ready."

Bella was instantly infuriated with Edward and Alice in turn. Her hands immediately went to her hips and her face crumpled into a frown an instant before she spoke again.

"Edward talked to you about this?"

"He told me you would be asking about Charlie," Alice cautiously defended, "but the not telling you part is my decision."

"You're keeping secrets from me about my father?" Bella questioned with astonishment.

"It's his secret," Alice continued to defend. "But it won't be for long. He's going to tell you Bella, I promise."

Bella was not happy with this report, but she accepted it after a brief deliberation.

"Tell me, Alice," a newly composed Bella questioned, "is my father going to be okay?"

"Yes, Bella, Charlie is fine," Alice quickly reported. "You don't have to worry. It's nothing injurious to him."

Bella was relieved by this report.

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

The next Saturday, early in the morning, Nessie was an eager bundle of cheerful excitement. She bounced out of her bed and danced her way through her morning ritual while humming a happy tune. Nessie had a plan for this day, and she had been waiting all week to do it. She spent nearly half of the morning adorning herself. Despite this attention to her appearance the result was a very casual look, blue jeans, a pullover blouse and tennis shoes.

Nessie was in no hurry to leave the house. This was indicated by her attention to family. She devoted a generous amount of time greeting all present in the house and the cottage. Everyone was pleased by her happy demeanor, but Renee, and in turn Edward, had their suspicions regarding its provocation. The rest of the family associated her extra cheerful behavior with the presents of Bella and Edward. Nessie's report that she had to run out at eleven AM to spend a few hours with friends from school had no effect on this perception. For Renee, it gave support to her suspicion.

Edward began noting the concern in Renee's thoughts regarding Nessie from the first day of his return to Forks. He dismissed it as having little importance, just as Renee was doing in her mind. Up until this day he chose not to pass on Renee's thinking to Bella, per his nature to not make public the thoughts of others. Nonetheless, given that the subject of this minor concern was Nessie, he elected to relay it to Bella this day.

"Your mother believes that Nessie is in love with a mortal," Edward reported calmly.

Bella immediately turned all her attention to Edward, despite the casual delivery of this report. She knew that Edward would not be telling her this if he did not have his own concerns.

"With who...?" Bella questioned with an intrigued inflection.

"A boy at school," Edward answered back passively.

"That's nothing serious," Bella exclaimed nonchalantly. "She's had infatuations with boys at school before."

"Renee seems to think that it might be something to be concerned about," Edward countered placidly.

"What do you think?" Bella questioned back.

"Nessie is pretty good at shielding her private thoughts from me; the vampire in her I'm sure."

"Maybe there's just nothing there to hide," Bella retorted coyly.

Edward gave her a hint of a smile before replying with a sly inflection

"Renee seems to think that she's off to meet this nonexistent infatuation right now."

Bella took a moment to ponder this before speaking.

"So, are you saying that you think we should do something?"

"No," Edward quickly responded. "I just thought this was something you should know."

Edward paused to give weight to his words.

"Renee will tell us when it becomes something to be concerned about."

Bella considered this briefly before responding with, "okay."

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

"Hey, where are you going?" Jacob queried as Nessie backed her truck from the garage.

Jacob had just arrived at the house when he noted Nessie coming out of the garage. He ran up to the driver's side window an instant before she could put the truck into first gear.

"I'm going to spend the afternoon with some of my friends at school," Nessie lied without hesitation.

"Oh, I thought we were going to do something today," Jacob responded with surprise in his voice.

"Why?" Nessie retorted with even greater surprise.

"Last week we agreed to do something together today," Jacob exclaimed with a hint of amazement.

"No, I didn't," Nessie spoke back in a shocked tone of voice.

"Yes, you did, Nessie," Jacob insisted. "I asked you if you wanted to go for a run and you said you couldn't. And then we agreed to go running or take in a show this weekend."

"I said maybe," Nessie argued back forcefully.

Jacob was set aback a little by the energy in Nessie's response.

"Maybe is not an agreement," Nessie continued in a heated tone.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Jacob placated. "It's just that I hardly get to see you anymore."

"I'm not a little girl anymore," Nessie instructed sternly. "I don't need you to keep me amused."

With that said Nessie put her truck into gear and drove off, leaving Jacob behind surprised and concerned.

Jacob had never seen Nessie like this. There had been the occasional tiffs in the past over childish and inconsequential things. This event had the feel of something serious to him. A question began to dance about in his mind.

_Is Nessie growing away from me?_

This thought triggered a sudden sensation of fear in Jacob.

Nessie's exchange with Jacob began to nag at her shortly after she left. She was genuinely sorry for the words she chose to use with him, but she could not convince herself that she could have done otherwise. She knew she had made no such commitment to Jacob and she had no intention of doing anything other than what she had planned for this day. Shortly into this rumination she told herself that she would make it up to him. She told herself that she would apologize and tell him how very sorry she was. She told herself that this was something she would do at another time, but not today. For this day she had other plans.

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

Nessie arrived outside of Sean Bowden's home thirty minutes later. She parked her truck on the street directly in front of the house. Sean's car occupied the driveway. The house was a three-bedroom fixer-upper. It looked as if it was a very handsome home, once upon a time; it was less than attractive in its present state. Scrap from the remodeling work that was being done inside was piled along the side of the building. The lawn was unkempt and a large tree that looked to be long past its prime shaded much of the front of the building and littered much of the ground below it with dead and dying leaves. The neighborhood about the house was well kept by comparison and each house within view of Sean's looked to be lived in. Several children could be seen playing half a city's block distance away.

Nessie quickly climbed out of the cab of her truck and hurried up to the front door. She wasted no time in ringing the doorbell there and then waited anxiously for an answer with a smile on her face.

Nessie had her concerns about the way Sean perceived her. She repeatedly rehashed the conversations they had a week earlier before coming to the conclusion that Sean had her fixed in his mind as a teenage girl who was trying to act grown. For Nessie, this was an image that simply would not do.

"Hello Mr. Bowden," Nessie announced immediately after he pulled open the front door.

"Nessie, hi," Sean responded with surprise in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you I would be back to help you paint," Nessie declared happily.

"Nessie, it's like I told you last week, it’s not appropriate for you to be here," Sean explained in an earnest tone of voice. "Besides, I have someone helping me."

"I know," Nessie responded cheerfully. "You said you were hiring someone from the neighborhood. I just thought with two more hands the job would go faster. Besides, now we have a chaperone."

"I still don't feel comfortable about this," Sean countered tentatively.

"It's just a housewarming gift, Mr. Bowden," Nessie answered back mockingly. "The neighbors won't be shocked, trust me. We even have cable here in Forks. Are you shocked?"

Sean took a moment to snicker at Nessie's humor before relenting in spite of his self.

"Okay," Sean announced as he backed away from the doorway. "But don't expect any favors at school."

"I'm sure I can handle your class, Mr. Bowden," Nessie slyly retorted as she walked through the doorway.

Sean knew, in the analytical part of his brain, that he should have turned Nessie away, but his analytical thinking was not functioning well at the time. He was more concerned with offending this extraordinarily attractive young lady who was standing at his door. Despite his best efforts he could not help but entertain romantic thoughts about one of his pupils. Her arrival was a moment of both dread and excitement. He rationalized that it would be safe to entertain her crush on him just for the afternoon on the grounds that Nessie appeared to be a mentally and emotionally sturdy person. He had little doubt that she would fare well from his continued resistance to her attentions and that the practice would likely do far more harm to him than to her.

The instant Sean relented and gave Nessie entry into his home; he began to suspect that his resistance would likely not last long after she graduated from high school. He worried, in the back of his mind, that he would not be able to restrain his attraction to Nessie once the legal obstacle was gone. Nonetheless he feared what the community would think of him when they learned that he had amorous designs on one of his students. Worry of an ethical ramification began to haunt his thoughts. For Sean, Nessie was both the dream girl and the nightmare student of his repose. He could only hope that Nessie would attend a University somewhere distant from Forks when she graduated.

Sean, Nessie and thirteen-year-old Alan Dooley spent the next three hours painting the living-room and an upstairs hall. Sean painted the bedrooms and bathrooms himself earlier that week. The kitchen was still undergoing some remodeling. When they were done Sean gave Alan a payment of thirty dollars and sent him home. He offered the same payment to Nessie, but she quickly declined.

"Like I said, this was a housewarming gift."

Sean made an earnest attempt to overrule this gesture to no avail. Nessie would not allow money to change the nature of her offering.

Sean hesitated to shoo Nessie out of his home after the debate over payment. Nessie was happy to entertain Sean's full attention to her now that the chaperone was gone and the painting was over. After a moment of contemplation Sean shared his thoughts in the form of a question.

"Do you think that truck of yours can handle the strain of hauling some scrap for me?"

"Absolutely," Nessie quickly reassured.

"It might turn out to be a pretty heavy load," Sean warned.

"Big Red is not afraid of anything," Nessie confidently retorted.

_This is a bad idea_ , Sean thought to himself as he thanked Nessie for her help.

Nessie helped Sean load her truck with the scrap that was piled up outside of his home. She gave special attention to looking far weaker than she was. Sean was equally preoccupied with appearing romantically disinterested in her. The load was easily within Big Red's ability to manage. It took them less than thirty minutes to complete the loading. Nessie and Sean promptly jumped into the cab of the truck after that and set out for the nearest scrap yard.

During their fifteen-minute trip to the scrap yard, Nessie maintained a cordial and intelligent conversation, much to Sean's surprise. There were no innuendos or flirtatious comments, as he would have expected from a schoolgirl who had a crush on him. Nessie inquired about his plans for the house and the inspiration behind his choice of teaching as a career. She infrequently interjected comments about the benefits of living on the Olympic Peninsula as she pointed out its features and places of interest. Sean entertained her conversation pleasantly, but he was more than a little confused by it. He was expecting to hear a conversation that was closer aligned with a schoolgirl with a crush. His perception of Nessie at that moment was more along the lines of a real-estate agent who was hawking the virtues of the community while keeping him conversantly amused. The confidence in her tone and carriage was not unexpected. He had always noted this in her. It was this absence of romantic interest in him that was throwing him a curve. Now that they were alone Sean was braced for the flirtations and suggestions that he expected to come. He had spent much of the past three hours rehearsing in his mind the verbiage he would use to rebuff Nessie's advances.

When they arrived at the recycling yard, Sean and Nessie quickly relinquished their load and started back. Inside the cab of Big Red, the conversation began along the same pattern as before. In his mind, Sean began to entertain the possibility that Nessie was deliberately trying to appear more mature than she was. He could not believe that he was wrong in his read of her. He quickly re-convinced himself that Nessie had romantic designs on him and that she was just putting on an act. After a short time of "Nessie the adult," part two, Sean decided to call her on this.

"You know, Nessie, I'm a little surprised by your behavior," Sean announced craftily.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Nessie quickly responded with just the right amount of concern. "Was I talking too much?"

"No, not at all," Sean responded coyly. "It's just that I had my concerns that you had a crush on me."

"A crush," Nessie retorted with a large smile and an astonished look.

Sean was suddenly unnerved by Nessie's robust response and surprised expression.

"Oh no, Mr. Bowden," Nessie nearly laughed as she continued. "I just saw that you were alone and new in the community. And I just thought someone should try to make you feel welcome."

Sean was more than a little flustered by this declaration.

"I mean, you're my teacher," Nessie continued to gush. "And you're like thirty-five, aren't you?"

"Twenty-eight," Sean quickly corrected with a hint of embarrassment.

"I mean, if I was older, and not your student, I'm sure I would find you very attractive," Nessie artfully confessed with a hint of a blush. "But I am sorry if I gave you that impression."

"No, that's alright," Sean clumsily countered. "It's just that I've had my share of schoolgirls with crushes on me."

"Recently...?" Nessie queried with a touch of surprise in her voice.

"Yes," Sean defended in a mildly annoyed tone.

"Oh no, I mean... I was just wondering if it was somebody I knew," Nessie pretended to save, awkwardly.

"I would never discuss things like that," Sean responded with a forced calm.

"Well I think you're very handsome, Mr. Bowden," Nessie proffered with a pleasant smile. "And I'm sure, if you weren't my teacher, I would be very smitten with you."

Sean accepted this offhanded compliment with a smile and a nod. He elected not to give a verbal response in hopes of ending this entire line of conversation.

Sean and Nessie spent the rest of the trip in silence. Sean quickly climbed out of the cab of the truck upon arrival and looked back through the passenger side window after closing the door.

"Well, Miss Cullen, thank you for your visit."

Nessie gave him a wide, flirtatious smile before giving her response.

"Maybe we can do it again in eight months, when it's your idea."

Nessie held her stare and her smile for a moment longer to give impact to her words. She then drove away from a stunned and speechless Mr. Bowden. Nessie went home with a feeling that she had done a good day’s work.


	10. Rhone

"Welcome Kadin," Gerard announced as the vampire in question strolled through the open doorway to the common chamber of the Volturi Coven of Vampires.

Kadin was a tall vampire, six-foot four inches in height. Thin, with an erect bearing, his nearly gaunt, angular features were not conducive to the description of handsome. His facial features were striking none-the-less, near to the point of mesmerizing. He sported a thin mustache that connected down to a goatee and a short thin beard that traced along the edge of his jawbone where it connected with his sideburns. A shock of black hair, streaked with a thin band of gray along the either side, was combed back until each side was interlaced at the midpoint at the back of his head. His attire was elegant to the point of being meticulously so. He was wearing an all-black suit with a black shirt and tie that was being offset in color by a red and green floral patterned silk scarf extending haphazardly out of his suit breast pocket, and a gold tie chain, tie clip and cuff links. On his right index finger, he sported a single gold ring with a moderate size diamond embedded at its center. A long, black cashmere overcoat, which came to within a foot of touching the floor, was draped over his shoulders.

It was obvious to all who met Kadin that he dressed to impress, not that this was needed in most cases. Kadin had a powerful authoritarian presence, especially among those who were inclined to be servile and submissive. This was in evidence by the two vampires behind him who willingly walked in his shadow.

The gift of excessive presence was not unusual among vampires. Physical features were not the only thing enhanced with the transition from human to vampire. Character, demeanor, bearing, charm, sophistication, intellect, personality traits that induced fear, comfort, desire or dread were equally affected by this change. Whatever gift a human possessed was invariably magnified one-hundred-fold in their vampire reconfiguration. Often these gifts had a nearly hypnotic effect on those humans, and vampires alike, who were given to be susceptible to them. Alec and Jane, however, were not two vampires inclined to be lorded over by anyone. Alec was too much of a rebel to be subordinated to Kadin's immense authoritarian gravitas and Jane's domineering personality made her downright hostile towards him instead.

Kadin returned no acknowledgment to Gerard's salutation as he kept his stare straight ahead. Following behind him was Gaston and Rollo.

"Gaston, Rollo. Welcome," Gerard acknowledged in turn as the duo entered the room.

They both gave Gerard a look and a nod as they followed Kadin into the room. Both Gaston and Rollo were unimpressive in appearance and were easily forgotten once they left any room.

The trio came to a stop in the center of the chamber. Seated in chairs atop the dais in front of them were Jane and Alec, from left, to right. Standing off to the right of Jane and two steps back was Efren. Gerard closed the doors behind the trio just as they came to a stop. Kadin and company showed no interest in this.

"Jane, Alec," Kadin acknowledged with a nod to each.

Gerard took up a position off to the left of Alec at the foot of the dais.

"Welcome Kadin," Jane annunciated politely. "Thank you for coming."

"It has been many years since I've been here," Kadin responded graciously. "I was pleased to get the invite."

"Is that so?" Alec queried inquisitively. "And why is that?"

"No reason in particular," Kadin answered craftily. "It's just that much has changed here since then. Intrigue regarding the decor I suspect."

"And much has stayed the same," Jane retorted agreeably. "That includes the decor."

"And I trust invitations carry the same assurances as before?" Kadin questioned Jane and Alec with a smile.

"They do," Jane responded with a slight bow of the head.

Aro, the previous master of this hall, made it well known that no vampire need fear an open invitation from the Volturi. Aro fiercely enforced non-belligerence towards all invited guests. By doing so this insured, for him, that the vampire he invited would either come, or had something to hide.

"So happy to hear so," Kadin replied with a smile. "It's nice to know that Aro's sense of deportment has survived in his former minions."

"Aro's deportment no longer carries any sway here," Alec sternly insisted. "You tarry here by our civility."

Alec did not like being reminded that he was once the sycophant of Aro, Caius and Marcus. Jane was also displeased by these reminders, but she rarely showed it to others.

"My apologies," Kadin responded with a slight bow. "No offense intended."

Kadin was pleased to see that he had agitated Alec. A hint of a smile curled up on his face even as he gave him a slight bow.

There was no love lost between their two covens. The Volturi had created many enemies. Rhone Coven had been bruised by the Volturi in the distant past, but no real harm had been done to them. There was no hostility between them, but Rhone Vampires had no affinity for Volturi either. The absence of Aro, Caius and Marcus did little to dissipate this feeling. For many in the vampire world who held this enmity for the Volturi, Jane and Alec were the focal points of their anger.

"Speaking of decor," Kadin continued in a sweetly sinister demeanor. "I can't help but notice that Demetri, Felix and Renata are absent from this meeting."

"They are not needed for what we have to discuss," Jane argued back.

Jane surmised that Kadin had been forewarned of the absences of Demetri, Felix and Renata. A pair of visiting vampires had already inquired after the trio two days earlier. Jane's response that they were busy elsewhere was never meant to fool anyone. She simply resented the question and dismissed it with the first lie she could think of. Jane knew that speculation was likely spreading.

"And what are we here to discuss?" Kadin questioned calmly.

"Claude," Alec answered bluntly.

"My Claude...?" Kadin asked with a surprised intonation.

"Yes," Alec sharply answered back.

"What about him?" Kadin asked with curiosity in his voice.

"What can you tell us about him?" Jane questioned flatly.

Kadin paused for several seconds as he considered the person asking the question. He was already entertaining the idea that something had gone terribly wrong in Patagonia. This rumor was spreading rapidly throughout Europe. The absence of Demetri, Felix and Renata was fueling this. He was now eager to find out exactly what did go wrong. He quickly concluded that thin, but accurate, answers would likely be the best way of getting at this. The more they needed to query him, the more he suspected he would learn.

"I saw him last nearly ten years ago," Kadin reported in an indifferent tone of voice. "He was bad news, and we were well rid of him."

"Bad news how...?" Alec questioned directly.

"He didn't care for our flavor of vampirism," Kadin confided haughtily. "Claude is a sadistic vampire. He kills for the amusement. The blood is simply a plus."

"I'm surprised this is my first time hearing of him," Jane tossed out dryly.

"Oh, he restrained himself, especially while he was with us," Kadin continued to report. "He knew better than to attract attention to himself. But he didn't like it," Kadin snidely punctuated. "He was a miserable bastard to be around," he continued, "when he was yearning for someone to torment."

"How old is he," Alec questioned somberly.

"He's a young vampire," Kadin answered calmly, "no more than seventy to eighty years at the most."

"Where is he now?" Jane queried succinctly.

"I don't know," Kadin answered back in an off the cuff manner. "He took off with some nomads."

"Do you know the names of these nomads?" Alec quickly questioned.

"Does this have something to do with your trip to Patagonia?" Kadin wondered out loud.

"Perhaps," Jane answered back blandly.

"Who were the nomads?" Alec persisted.

"Atsuo," Kadin responded calmly. "He's the only one I have a name for."

"What can you tell me of him?" Alec challenged.

"Nothing of his particulars," Kadin spoke back casually. "But I'm not the one you should be asking about him."

"Who should we be asking?" Alec questioned in an insistent tone of voice.

"Faro, he spent some time with him," Kadin responded coyly. "Or so he told us."

Faro was a well-known vampire with better than five centuries accredited to his existence. Alec and Jane knew exactly where he was and needed to know nothing more about that.

"Is that it?" Alec challenged heatedly. "There's nothing else you can tell us about these nomads?"

"They meant nothing to me," Kadin argued back. "Why should I know any more than I said?"

Alec was visibly annoyed by this response but remained still in his seat. Jane too was somewhat peeved, but not as much so visibly. They both paused to consider all that they had heard. Kadin shortly tossed out his own query into this silence.

"What happened in Patagonia?"

"Nothing that we can't handle," Jane quickly asserted.

"I think not if Demetri, Felix and Renata did not survive your first effort," Kadin spoke back carefully, in a near questioning tone.

Jane and Alec had no response to this, despite their fierce stares at him. Gaston and Rollo took note of the silence and gave each other knowing glances.

"If there is a group of vampires out there who are beyond your ability to control, then all the covens should be made aware of this," Kadin insisted after a brief time.

"The business of the Volturi is not fodder for gossip by the vampire community," Alec declared defiantly.

"The failure of a dominant coven is more than gossip," Kadin blandly contradicted. "Even now, speculation about your misadventure in South America is fueling ideas that were unthinkable just a week ago."

"What ideas?" Alec challenged back.

"Come now, Alec, you may have been turned at a young age, but you are not naive," Kadin responded with a smirk. "Your crown has been tarnished."

"And what if it has," Alec fumed back.

"Nothing breeds rebellion better than rumors of a crumbling kingdom," Kadin retorted with a smile.

"Any coven that wishes to challenge us is free to do so at their own risk," Jane snidely interjected.

"And what if that coven is from Patagonia?" Kadin baited Jane with a look out the corner of his eyes.

Neither Jane nor Alec had an immediate response to this. A second later Kadin exploited their silence to build on his supposition.

"There's probably a half dozen malcontent vampires making their way to Patagonia as we speak," Kadin hissed for emphasis. "Soon every vampire out there that's chafing under the covenant that guides us will be lining up to join this rogue coven, all thanks to your failure."

"Do you think you could have done better?" Jane roared back with a scowl.

"Not at all," Kadin responded politely. "What I am saying is that the Olympic Coven needs to be brought in on this."

Jane stubbornly clenched her jaw. Alec, Efren and Gerard looked to her out the corner of their eyes for some sign of resignation.

"If this rogue coven is not brought under control then everyone will suffer the consequences," Kadin continued to instruct.

"We'll find the answer to these Patagonian Vampires without the help of the Olympic Coven," Jane insisted.

"Please excuse me if I do not share your confidence," Kadin proffered with a slight smile.

Jane was not amused by Kadin's disguised insult. A scowl quickly formed upon her face as she leaned forward in her seat.

"The Olympic Coven cowers within the borders of their domain," Jane bellowed fiercely. "What makes you think they can do anything?"

"They brought you to your knees, I'm told," Kadin casually retorted.

Jane took a moment to glare at Kadin. He, in turn, stood defiant against her stare.

"The Olympic Coven is not without their weaknesses," Jane insisted after a brief time. Her tone and manner were more contained than before. "Do not make the mistake of thinking they are the solution to all our problems."

"Be that as it may," Kadin retaliated. "The other covens need to be apprised that this Patagonian Coven still operates outside of any boundaries."

"It could be, Kadin, that you're overestimating the other coven's interest in these Patagonian Vampires," Jane countered slyly.

"True," Kadin started coyly. "But I have no doubt that they will be very interested in the sudden disappearances of Demetri, Felix and Renata."

Jane quickly pushed herself up on her feet with rage and glared down at Kadin.

"Jane!" Alec quickly shouted towards her.

Jane collected her composure, but not her seat. After several seconds of reflection, she decided to confess to the truth.

"They took us by surprise. I have never seen a coven do what they can do."

"And that is?" Kadin questioned Jane directly.

Jane said nothing as she settled back into her seat.

"They were invisible, all of them." Alec spoke up in Jane's behalf. "We could not see them until the instant of their attack, and they flew through the air."

"Atsuo," Kadin responded with a word.

"What about him?" Jane asked suspiciously.

"I'm told that flying is a gift that he possesses," Kadin calmly responded.

"You lied to us," Jane insisted in an angry tone of voice.

"As you were doing to us from the moment we entered this chamber," Kadin grumbled back.

Jane fumed over this as Kadin waited patiently for her to resume her calm.

"He can also levitate objects as heavy as one-hundred and fifty kilograms, more or less," Kadin continued in an instructing tone. "His range is limited. He's unable to grasp anything further than thirty yards away depending upon the weight. And he can toss things up to ten-times the furthest distance from where he can lift it."

"What else have you lied to us about?" Jane continued her inquiry with a bitter edge to her tone.

"Nothing of any great importance here," Kadin responded with a smile.

"Let us be the judge of that," an annoyed Alec insisted.

Kadin took a moment to reflect upon the question. His head turned slightly to the left, his brow furrowed, and his eyes began to search the floor. After several seconds, his eyebrows pushed up and his eyes refocused on Alec.

"Claude has a peculiar tactile sensitivity."

"What does that mean?" Alec questioned sharply.

"It's impossible to sneak up on him," Kadin casually asserted. "It's quite remarkable actually. If you're standing within two-hundred and fifty meters of him, he can physically feel you. If you're moving at a high rate of speed, he can feel you at a distance of five kilometers. It's really an extraordinary attribute, in a weird way."

"This is nothing," Alec dismissed in a huff.

"As I said," Kadin concurred.

Volturi took a moment to ponder all that they had heard. Kadin quietly looked on with a look of amused interest on his face. A dozen seconds into this he broke the silence with a statement.

"I take it that I have not given you the answer that you seek."

"You have given us nothing that wholly explains these damnable vampires," Jane spat out with disgust.

"Then, may I make a suggestion?" Kadin politely asked.

Jane hesitated to respond. "And that is?"

"I suggest we bring in a larger collection of Covens," Kadin answered in a pleasing tone. "Maybe together we can affix the picture to this puzzle."

Jane looked to Alec out the corner of her eyes and found him doing the same towards her. A pair of seconds later Gerard voiced in.

"We need to know more about this coven before we attempt to move on them again."

Jane turned to her right and gave Efren a look. He, in turn, voiced in his opinion as well.

"We need to do this, Jane."

Jane held her gaze upon Efren's face for several seconds before turning back to Kadin with her reply.

"Very well, we will assemble this consortium."

"Excellent," Kadin retorted with a broad smile. "I'm sure that your confidence in the covens will go far towards engendering their esteem for the Volturi."

"One can only hope," Jane retorted with a sneer.

"One other thing," Kadin quickly spoke back. "Shall I summon the Olympic Coven, or will you?"


	11. Ambrose

Ambrose was the first born of three offspring of Mary Pennington. His mother applied her vocation, in the housekeeping field, in the upscale boroughs of London, England, in the 1750's and early 1760's. Pretty, petite and cheerful, Mary often incurred the disdain of the mistresses whose homes she serviced. She did, however, have a penchant for winning the favor of the gentlemen who dwelled there, the latter often being the motivation for the former. Her numerous trysts with men resulted in three children by different fathers, each of which who declined to lay claim to their progeny.

Mary was not a good mother by anyone's opinion of her. Children were an inconvenience and babies were the worst. Nonetheless, she endured them amicably, if not affectionately so. She accepted her station in life without complaint, or ambition for more. She frequently spent her spare time looking for amusements wherever she could find them, generally in the company of a man. It was a pastime that havocked her greatly in the final year of her life.

Ambrose told anyone who asked that he was named after his father, an elegant gentleman with an impressive intellect. Mary infrequently apprised her eldest of this even though she became increasingly dubious of its validity with each passing year. This was always more her wish than conviction. There were several other men equally qualified for the position. Ambrose, however, accepted his mother's claim as the truth and was quick to attest to it when asked. The designation of being the son of an articulate, well-to-do gentleman was his most valued possession. To proclaim he was such a man's son suggested, at least in his mind, that he was living well beneath his rank.

Ambrose had no great love for his mother. This was partially because she was not a great presence in his life. His upbringing, for the most part, was a joint venture. Mary and her assortment of female friends, most of which who were equally so encumbered with children, often pooled their resources to provide for their dependents. Ambrose spent a great deal of his youth in the company of others and only saw his mother when there was no other amusement to pull her away, or when she could not avoid the responsibility of attending to her children.

Ambrose was fifteen when Mary died. She was only thirty-three. He was mostly fending for himself by then. Consequently, Mary's demise had little effect upon his life. He and his peers cultivated several methods for sustaining themselves, most of which being on the foul side of the law.

Ambrose was not instinctively criminally minded, in a larcenous way. He entertained thoughts of killing people he knew, but this was far beyond his fortitude to perform. It was not Ambrose's ambition to take what he felt by all rights should be given to him, property, notoriety and respect. These, however, were private thoughts. He dared not express these feelings with those he shared the bulk of his time with. Ambrose Pennington was a small and skinny young man who held the unaffectionate moniker of worm among those he chased behind. This nickname was given to him because he was ideally suited for getting into places the larger kids could not. It was also an emblem of their complete absence of respect for him.

Intensely quiet and mousy, Ambrose dared not object to any disparages that his chosen comrades heaped upon him. He was terrified of their displeasure and equally so of their abandonment. Ambrose lived his short human life in fear of all about him. Despite his deep desire to kill those he felt had affronted him, survival, for frightened little Ambrose, meant being as unobtrusive as possible. This was a talent that he developed to an extreme. Seldom did anyone know he was nearby until someone needed him for something. For Ambrose, this was a gift because his companions valued and a curse because they also detested him for it.

By the age of twenty, Ambrose had been in and out of a dozen misadventures with no harm to himself to show for it. More than half of his companions from five years earlier could not make the same claim. Dead or imprisoned, life on the streets had taken its toll on the little group. New members filled their ranks nearly as quickly as its veterans fell away.

The challenge for survival in the seedier parts of London increased exponentially with age. Small time thievery was no longer sufficient for the group and big-time competitors were no longer dismissive of their presence. Ambrose's talent for finding his way to the rear of the pack was, by then, grating mightily upon the patience of the members. Abuses directed at him, both verbal and physical, were becoming common place occurrences. Ambrose was increasingly perceived as an expendable member of the group; tolerated within their vicinity, but never invited within their plans. This unwanted appendage to the group caught the attention of a transient vampire and he elected to avail himself of a meal that no one would notice had gone missing.

In the dark of the night, as Ambrose slumbered within the makeshift shanty that he had secured for himself, the vampire, Dainis, descended upon him and began to feed at his leisure. This was wholly a meal of opportunity for Dainis. He felt no ill will for the victim he was consuming. In fact, he felt rather sympathetic towards him. He too was insecure in the presence of more formidable beings than he and had spent much of the past three years wandering the British Isles alone. With a spur-of-the-moment decision, Dainis decided to spare this victim the ignobility of being completely erased from existence. He abstained from draining Ambrose dry and watched as he endured the agony of transitioning into a vampire.

This was not the first time Dainis had done this, nor was it an uncommon practice among vampires traveling alone. Conscripting companions from the ranks of the mortals represented the second most common cause for vampire population growth. The first most common cause was helpers, humans who traded their assets and services for the promise of one day becoming vampires themselves. They also went by the names of vampire aides, assistants, attendants, subordinates and pets. Helpers were invariably short-term acquisitions that a vampire would exploit to secure property and position in the mortal world. Once they were no longer needed, helpers were promptly transitioned into vampires themselves or killed at the discretion of the vampire they served.

Three days after being bitten, Ambrose emerged from the ordeal of transitioning into a vampire, terrified, confused and hungry. Dainis promptly gathered him under his wing and steered him on a tour of the British Isles. The primary reason for this journey was to keep him clear of anyone he knew. A secondary reason was to remove him from the temptation of so many warm-blooded bodies moving about him.

It invariably took no more than a year for the birthing fever of a newborn vampire to subside, usually less by four or five months. Once this had happened a newborn was expected to have sufficient control over his or herself to move freely among humans without rousing their suspicions. Makers of newborn vampires were loathed to release their acquisitions before a year had passed. It was not unheard of for a maker to be faulted along with his newborn for an indiscretion that attracted the attention of a powerful coven. Punitive actions upon makers insured that all newborns were properly indoctrinated into their new existences.

Dainis had been through this process three times before. Each time his newborn abandoned him within a decade of their transition. This was not due to any failing on Dainis' part. It was quite common for newborns to take flight once they felt comfortably situated with their new existence. Associations between makers and newborns rarely lived up to the hopes of the latter. With Dainis and Ambrose, this was an understatement.

Dainis was nowhere close to what anyone would call a physically imposing person, let alone a vampire. In stature he was not much larger than Ambrose. He was, however, an attractive person, and all-the-more-so as a vampire. Amiable, and an amusing conversationalist, Dainis was accustomed to charming himself into the society of people he was intrigued with and out of the company of people he feared. Two years into their coexistence, Ambrose came to think of himself as Dainis' equal. Three years in he believed himself his superior. This perception was not due to physical size or strength, nor had it anything to do with athletic adeptness. Dainis' meekness of character was not the culprit either. Ambrose's newfound sense of superiority was being derived from a gift that, up until recently, he did not know he had.

During the maturation period when, Ambrose was in the grip of the newborn fever, he had all he could do just managing his desire to feed. This preoccupation was all consuming during the first five months of his vampire existence. Early into his sixth month, he noticed a peculiar ability of his that was absent in his maker. He could disappear from Dainis' view by simply concentrating on being so.

Dainis took note of this knack of Ambrose's nearly a month after turning him into a vampire. His initial thinking was that his protégé was instinctively stealthy. When he tested this theory, he learned that Ambrose could make himself disappear from view and from thought, in the minds of others around him. He advised Ambrose of this finding on numerous occasions, but the newborn was too deeply immersed in the torrent of feelings and cravings within him at that time to comprehend this. The storm of energy that was churning inside him was a constant distraction. Discourse with the young vampire was nearly impossible. Dainis likened this period in a vampire’s existence to that of an adolescent dog. Spoken commands were useless. A firm grip on the leash was the only control that worked.

When Ambrose did begin to take notice of this ability of his and its absence in Dainis, he gradually began to give voice to his contempt for others, and Dainis became the receiver of same. Over time this disrespectful tone became the cause for numerous arguments between them. In the third year of their joint adventure, Dainis decided that he had had enough. He quickly instructed Ambrose that he was free to go his own way and that he would do the same. Ambrose accepted this decision without protest. It was an idea that he had been contemplating on his own. He was, however, considering an addendum to this separation.

Over the three years they were together Ambrose had met seven other vampires. During these encounters no real information was passed between them. Vampires and covens were generally inclined to guard their personal activities and attributes from strangers. Dainis was no different in this than any other vampire and Ambrose took this trait to extremes. This is why when the time came for him and Dainis to part ways; he chose to kill his maker to protect his secret.

Ambrose spent the next two centuries living mostly as he pleased. He had no desire to live among vampires and avoided them whenever possible. When he did run across one, by chance, he shortly removed himself from their vicinity with the utmost stealth. They quickly forgot about him, almost as if he were never there.

Ambrose found it much more amusing to live among the humans. He fancied himself a god in this environment and took pleasure in avenging himself upon humans he took offense to. In this too Ambrose was surreptitious. He had no desire to attract the attentions of other vampires.

Time and again Ambrose concluded that he needed to relocate to protect his secret vampire identity. His travels throughout the nineteenth century took him back and forth across Europe twice. In the early part of the twentieth century he relocated to the Americas and explored its length and width at his leisure.

Ambrose's need to lord over those he considered to be lesser than he made it necessary for him to establish himself within the human community for short periods of time, usually a decade, never more than two. By the beginning of the twenty-first century Ambrose found himself comfortably ensconced in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The society here was agreeable to him and its location was much to his liking. He found the foraging for blood easy pickings in the remote Patagonian region.

It was during one of his forays in Patagonia that Ambrose came across a group of seven vampires working the same idea. He noted their movement from a distance of nearly three miles. They were closing in on a prey that he had been watching for the better part of an hour. This was of no real inconvenience to Ambrose. There were plenty of other warm bloods out there, so he simply sat and watched this engagement. It amused Ambrose to see other vampires at work, but he was never intrigued enough to join in their escapades.

The seven vampires shortly descended on their victim and toyed with him for a time, not unlike a group of cats toying with a mouse. After a brief time of this the group began to feed. With no particular reason for doing so, Ambrose decided to move in for a closer look. He projected his invisibility cloak and moved stealthily towards the vampires. When he had gotten to within three-hundred yards of the group, Ambrose was startled by something he did not expect to see. The group of seven suddenly looked up all at once and stared in his direction.

Ambrose froze in his tracks and pondered this reaction. It did not appear to him that they actually saw him, despite their intense study in his general direction. The group of seven rose to full stance a few seconds later and fanned out a half-dozen yards towards him at a slow walk. Their attentions were still riveted on his general area. Ambrose thought to run but he feared the movement would catch their attention. He continued to hold his cloak and his position even as the group of seven quickened their pace.

A minute later, the seven vampires took flight, to the surprise of Ambrose. They skimmed low across the tops of the waist high bushes that dotted the landscape at a high rate of speed. Three seconds later they landed in a near perfect circle around him. They stood no more than twenty feet away and still they regarded his location with awe and wonder. The way they searched the area with their eyes told Ambrose that they still could not see him, but it was all too obvious that they knew that he was there. After a brief time of study, the second tallest male vampire, Claude, the shorter of three two female vampires, Reyna and the Asian male vampire, Atsuo, spoke in unison.

"Who are you?"

Ambrose was briefly unsettled by this collective question coming from several directions, still he elected not to speak in the hope that the seven vampires would give up the search and leave. Shortly the tallest male vampire, Manfred, the taller of the two female vampires, Kamilla, spoke.

"We know you're there."

"We can feel you," Atsuo, Reyna, Samia and Olek spoke collectively.

Olek was the second to the shortest male member of the group, but he was the stoutest in physique.

"Show yourself or we will attack," Claude and Manfred punctuated forcefully a second later.

Ambrose saw no need to continue concealing himself after that. He quickly concluded that his only safety lay in winning their approval. Ambrose pulled back his concentration and withdrew his cloak. Within that instant he became visible to all about him. The group of seven was immediately astonished by his sudden manifestation. They showed no interest in wanting to do him harm, but they were clearly very interested in him.

"How do you make yourself invisible?" Claude, Kamilla, Manfred and Reyna questioned collectively.

Ambrose was unsettled once again by the unified speaking. Nonetheless, he chose not to question it.

"I don't know how I do it. It's just something that I've always been able to do."

The group of seven were obviously intrigued. They examined him for the better part of a minute as their eyes searched him up and down.

"We invite you to join us," Claude announced at the end of this time.

"And to add your gift to our number..." Reyna appended, without missing a beat.

Ambrose was more unnerved by their manner of speaking than he was by the invitation. After a brief time, his curiosity about their collective speaking subsided enough for him to think to ask a question.

"How would I add my gift to your number?"

"Simple, all we need is a little of your blood," Claude, Manfred, Reyna, Olek, Samia, Atsuo, and Kamilla responded blandly as one.


	12. Heart to Heart

Nessie spent the Sunday following her visit to Sean Bowden's home, happily amused with her family. She obsessively played with Li'l Phil and found ways to entertain each of her relations in turn. Nessie was in exceedingly high spirits. She was confident that she left her teacher fascinated by her and could barely contain her urge to tell someone. Shortly into the afternoon this urge got the better of her. Nessie steered her mother away from the house and guided her on a walk through the surrounding forest.

Bella was very agreeable with this. She took note of Nessie's high spirits, as did nearly everyone else. She had hopes that her daughter would one day confide her secret thoughts and concerns with her. Bella was fearful of the future that she bequeathed her daughter and had spent many of hours feeling guilty about this. She knew that Nessie would not have a normal life, by human standards. Despite her content with the choice she made for her own life, Bella dreaded the future she condemned to her daughter. Leaving Nessie with Renee was the only action she could think of to address this concern for her human/vampire hybrid daughter.

Bella had always been pleased with how readily Nessie took to life within the adolescent world of humans. The eagerness that she displayed for school and after school activities soothed Bella's guilty feelings. Nessie was neither human nor vampire, and for Bella this was the crux of the problem that she saw for her. She understood that Nessie did not belong in either world and, unlike vampires, she could not turn a human to fit into hers. She knew that her daughter had few choices for a mate and could easily spend the bulk of her future alone. For Bella, Nessie's future was a constant concern.

Bella saw Jacob as the obvious choice for Nessie, but not a choice of her making. She did not want to steer her daughter towards a prefabricated life. She knew that she would not like someone making decisions for her future and she had more than a suspicion that Nessie would be equally resentful, if not more so. Bella made it her practice to avoid any conversation with Nessie that contained her, and Jacob was the subject. This was easy enough to accomplish since Nessie seemed to be predisposed to this thinking. Regardless of this unspoken agreement between them, Bella held out hope that her daughter would one day open up to her. The forewarning that Nessie had a secret boyfriend and her unusually high spirits, gave her reason to believe that this day would be the day.

"Mom," Nessie prefaced carefully. "How did you know that dad was the one?"

Bella instantly became, both, a little excited and frightened by this question. She interpreted it as the opening salvo of a conversation about boys and love. She took a moment to think about the question and shortly discovered that she was searching for a response that would most likely have an effect that she favored. She quickly tossed this thinking aside in favor of an honest response.

"I don't know," Bella answered as she fumbled with her thoughts. "I guess, one day I just knew that I never wanted to be separated from him."

Immediately after giving her answer, Bella searched Nessie's face for the effect of her words.

"Why do you ask?" Bella queried two seconds later.

"I think I'm in love," Nessie responded with a large smile that she obviously tried and failed to contain.

Bella quickly decided to play the role of devil's advocate.

"You know it's not unusual to mistake a first crush for love."

"It's not a crush, Mom," Nessie replied defensively.

"I'm just saying that maybe you shouldn't be so quick to label it as love," Bella qualified in a placating tone.

"You don't think I know a crush when I feel it?" Nessie challenged back.

"Nessie, I just don't want you to get your feelings hurt over some boy who may only have the same feelings for you," Bella pleaded in return.

"I'm not in love with a boy, Mom," Nessie quickly responded without thinking. "I'm in love with a man."

Bella was caught off guard by this remark. She paused to contemplate Nessie's meaning.

"I thought you were speaking of a boy at your school?" Bella queried in a puzzled tone of voice.

"He's not a student, Mom," Nessie reported with a hint of defiance.

"We're not talking about Jacob, are we?" Bella, suspiciously, queried again.

"No, Mom, I'm not in love with Jacob," Nessie answered in an exasperated tone of voice.

Nessie shortly reconsidered this answer and decided to qualify it with a conciliatory remark.

"I mean, I do care for Jacob, but just not that way."

"Then who are we talking about, Nessie," Bella questioned pointedly.

His name is Sean," Nessie answered softly, "and he's a teacher at school."

"Nessie," Bella responded in near shock.

"We're not in a relationship yet, Mom," Nessie quickly clarified. "But I do love him."

"Nessie, you're too young to know if you're in love," Bella lectured gently.

"Actually, Mom, I'm as old as you, physically," Nessie corrected with a hint of defiance.

"I know, I know," Bella quickly qualified. "But all of your experiences are compacted into a short period of time. I just think you should take your time before you commit your feelings to someone."

"You mean to some human," Nessie corrected in an irritated tone of voice.

"I didn't say that," Bella quickly refuted. "I'm just afraid for you," Bella continued in a concerned voice.

"Well you shouldn't be," Nessie spoke back in sternly. "I know what I'm doing. He likes me. He likes me a lot. I even think he loves me."

"What makes you so sure?" Bella questioned wearily.

"I read his mind," Nessie responded with a touch of superiority.

Bella gave her a knowing look before responding.

"Oh, and a brief moment of romantic thoughts has convinced you that you're the only woman in the world for him."

"I could be," Nessie defended.

"Baby, have you thought this through," Bella queried in a voice heavily laced with concern. "...the risks, the dangers. Have you thought about what your future together would look like?"

"I don't care about that," Nessie insisted. "I love him. I don't want to reduce my love life into carefully analyzed decisions. Don't you understand?" Nessie questioned in an emotionally heavy outburst. "I just want to follow my heart."

Bella was instantly stunned by this strident response. She could not help but feel guilty about the obstacles that stood in the way of her daughter ever having a normal life. She knew that the emotion that Nessie was feeling was trumping any judgment call on her part. Bella paused several seconds to quell the sorrow that was rising up inside of her. She feared for the course that her daughter was taking. In desperation, a thought came to her that she hoped might cause Nessie to reconsider the course she was setting for herself.

"Okay," Bella responded softly after a brief time. "What about Jacob?"

"What about him?" Nessie queried back suspiciously.

"I think he should know," Bella suggested softly. "I don't think it's fair to him to be left in the dark about this."

"I'm not engaged to Jacob," Nessie insisted.

"He still needs to be told," Bella insisted back.

Nessie took a moment to consider this before answering back in a huff.

"Okay, I'll tell him."

No more was spoken of this as mother and daughter silently strolled back towards the house.

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

Keeping Nessie's truck running had become a conscientious endeavor for Jacob. He did not need Nessie to call him about a problem with it. Nearly a quarter of his visits to Nessie's home were primarily routine maintenance visits for Big Red. It was not uncommon for Nessie to go out to the garage and find Jacob there tinkering under its hood. Jacob found it much more convenient to work at the Swan residence. The equipment and environment were much better there than it was at his home, especially during the winter season. He would often bring his on vehicle there to work on and tinker with Big Red only as an afterthought. It was for this reason that Nessie was not surprised to see Jacob drive up, inside his latest muscle car creation, and park in front of the Swan household garage doors.

Nessie had finished her heart to heart talk with Bella a little more than an hour before. She had been reminiscing about all that had been said ever since. The sight of Jacob woke her from her introspection and motivated her to follow through with the promise she gave to Bella. Nessie had no desire for this conversation. She would have preferred that events had taken their course and for Jacob to have come to the realization, of what she was about to expound, on his own. Nessie, however, was not about to back away from something she promised to do, no matter how much she dreaded doing it.

Nessie took a few minutes to prepare herself, physically and emotionally, and then traversed a path through the house to the garage. She found Jacob with his head already beneath the hood of Big Red. No one else was there. The three-car garage was brightly illuminated by the overhead lighting. Nessie quietly moved a few steps into the garage with the expectation that Jacob did not know she was there. In this she was wrong. Jacob acknowledged her presence without looking up from his examination of Big Red's engine.

"This engine is holding up pretty good, if I do say so myself," Jacob reported in a self-congratulating tone.

"Well that's no surprise," Nessie responded without missing a beat. "You're a real good mechanic."

Jacob ignored the compliment as he continued to look about the truck's engine compartment.

"I see Emmett has already been under the hood," Jacob commented a few seconds later. His attention was still focused on the engine in front of him.

"You two need to quit arguing over this truck," Nessie softly scolded as she moved to within five feet of where Jacob was standing.

"I don't mind if he wants to do some work on the truck," Jacob complained as he continued to look around the engine. "I just wish he would talk to me first."

"What difference does it make?" Nessie questioned in a slightly puzzled voice.

"He replaced the alternator," Jacob argued back. "The truck would have worked fine for at least another year with the old alternator. That's why I didn't put in the one I have at home."

"Well, I guess he didn't know that," Nessie placated on Emmett's behalf.

"I know he didn't know," Jacob retorted in an exasperated tone. "That's why he needs to talk to me before he starts messing around in here."

Nessie was not particularly interested in anything that Jacob was saying, not that he thought she was. Her mind was busy searching for a delicate way to maneuver the conversation around to what she needed to talk about. The more she thought about the task she had set for herself, the more trepidation she felt inside. Her thoughts began to wander inward in response to this sensation. She told herself that she loved Jacob in a familiar way. She had no doubt of the truth of this. If any harm was to come to Jacob, she knew she would be heartbroken. What she did not understand was her reason for telling herself this. This was Jacob, she thought to herself. She felt that there should be no need to remind herself of her feelings for him. She quickly rationalized that Sean had come into her life and her affections so acutely that she had simply lost touch with her feelings for Jacob. But they were still there, she thought. She concluded, in her head, that she simply needed to convince Jacob that she would always love him as a friend.

Jacob had taken no notice of Nessie's internal turmoil. Shortly into her introspection he removed his head and shoulders from under the hood of the engine compartment and set off for the cab of the truck.

"Have you been having any problems with the truck?" Jacob questioned Nessie as he walked over to the driver's side door.

"No," Nessie responded after an instant of thought and a shrug.

"Any strange sounds...?" Jacob queried a second after climbing into the driver's seat.

Nessie always thought that question was a bit odd. She knew that Jacob was inquiring about some minor knocking or pinging sound, but she doubted that she would ever notice sounds like that in a running engine. She suspected that the sound of something exploding or falling off would be the first indication to her that something was wrong.

"No, Jacob, no strange sounds," Nessie responded in a slightly bewildered tone of voice.

Jacob gave no notice to Nessie's report. He was distracted by something he had never encountered inside Nessie's truck before. He was just about to turn the key to the ignition when an unfamiliar scent suddenly caught his attention. He paused for several seconds and tilted his head towards the passenger side of the cab as he continued to sample this new smell. Nessie thought nothing of Jacob's sudden silence. She presumed he was studying something in the cab and quickly dismissed it as anything to be concerned with.

"I thought you said you spent Saturday with your girlfriends?" Jacob sharply questioned in a mildly accusatory speech.

Nessie was surprised by Jacob's attention suddenly being directed solely at her. She was not prepared for the question either. Nessie never considered the possibility of Jacob challenging her little white lie and she was momentarily caught off guard by this.

"I did," Nessie blurted out defensively.

"I don't think so, Nessie," Jacob disputed back. "Every time that you've visited one of your friends in the past, the odometer has never elapsed more than eleven miles."

"Are you checking up on me, Jacob?" Nessie argued back.

"No," Jacob quickly countered defensively.

"But you're keeping tabs on my odometer," Nessie retaliated angrily and with equal speed.

"I keep tabs on everything in that truck," Jacob answered back in a justifying tone of voice.

"That doesn't give you the right to accuse me of lying," Nessie argued loudly.

"Are you lying to me now?" Jacob challenged back at her.

"So, we went out to Sully's. What difference does it make?" Nessie defended with animated gestures.

"No, you didn't, Nessie," Jacob bellowed with amazement. "You never go out together in different cars and you never go in your truck when you do."

Nessie was incensed by the accusation that she was lying and even more so because she was. Suddenly Nessie was confused and took a moment to ponder this whole situation. She knew that her whole reason for being there was to confess to Jacob about Sean. Now all she could think about saying to him was to go to hell.

"Well this time I did," Nessie emphasized with defiance.

"Okay then, so who was your passenger?" Jacob questioned pointedly. "And don't think about telling me another lie, Nessie. I know all of your friends by smell."

Nessie gave Jacob a fierce look of anger before responding with equal ferocity.

"You go to hell!"

Nessie turned and stormed out of the garage, slamming the door to the house behind her.


	13. Charlie's Plans

Nessie started her school week in a far less cheerful mood than she had been in the morning before. Her conversation with Bella, yesterday afternoon, left her concerned about Jacob. Her conversation with Jacob left her furious with him. The only good she could perceive from this new day was Sean. The idea that she would be seeing him again elevated her spirits with each passing minute.

Halfway into this day Nessie's impatience was rewarded. Sean was in his classroom, as expected, uncomfortably anxious to see her again. Nessie's mood was brightened by his discomfort. His unease confirmed in her mind that she was very much in his thoughts. She maintained a near constant smile for the next two hours and would likely have continued so for the rest of the day were it not for Anthony.

"Is it true what they're saying about Chief Swan?" Anthony asked in a mildly curious tone of speech.

"What are they saying?" Nessie queried back with an equal measure of surprise and concern.

"That he's being fired," Anthony promptly answered back.

"No," Nessie quickly responded, more so from reflex than disbelief. "Who's saying that?" She queried again without hesitation.

"I heard it was on the news," Anthony casually replied.

Nessie was not pleased by what she presumed to be an errant rumor. She dared not consider that there was any truth to this. She knew that if it were true then Charlie would likely be depressed about it. An instant later she recalled that Charlie's spirits had been low of late. The sudden realization that this could be true pushed all other concerns out of her thoughts. Getting home to be with granddad was all she could think to do. This was a worry that hounded her for the rest of her school day.

Nessie was not the only relation of Charlie's who was anguishing over this report. Bella had heard a news story early that morning about her father. The story suggested that Charlie was being forced to tender his resignation ahead of being fired from his job as the Chief of Police of Forks. This story appeared to be solely owned by a single local television station. Bella could find no other stations reporting the same. For conformation she quickly turned to Edward and Alice. They in turn told her that this was, in fact, the truth.

Renee was also a source of confirmation of this story. Bella briefly queried her mother for details. Renee had none to provide. She simply steered her daughter towards her father for the answer to all her concerns.

"Charlie will be home soon and he'll tell you everything then," Renee tossed out with a shake of her head.

"But don't you know what his plans are?" Bella hurriedly questioned back.

"Baby, I don't think he knows what his plans are yet," Renee softly answered with a shrug.

Bella accepted the response reluctantly. She too was anxious to meet with Charlie but could do nothing but wait for his return from work. Shortly after sunset her vigil came to an end.

Charlie had no doubt that everyone at his home was aware of his pending resignation as the Chief of Police for the City of Forks. By the end of his work day the news was popular gossip throughout the city's various governing departments. He could not help but notice the surreptitious glances and the whispered voices behind his back. He neither confirmed nor denied any direct questions regarding this subject and he flatly refused to speak with any member of the press. Charlie still felt obliged to say nothing until after the Mayor's official announcement of his resigning. He was, however, very unhappy about this leak to the press.

Immediately after hearing of the news story, Charlie called the Mayor's Office. He halfway expected Leland to accuse him of being the source of the leak. This, however, was not the case. Leland quickly reported that Detective Hilborn had made a careless remark to a reporter for The Stranger, a weekly newspaper located in Seattle. The declaration that he would soon be the Chief of Police for the city of Forks was noted only in passing within the article that it appeared, and it went all but unnoticed by the paper’s readership. However, in Forks, this passing remark had the distinction of being a story in itself.

Charlie was more than a little peeved when he was first told of Detective Hilborn's careless mistake. By the end of the day he was furious. The uncomfortable looks and the pestering calls from the press elevated his displeasure with each passing minute. He could not recall a day that felt as if it crept by as slowly as this one had. He spent the bulk of his time at work secluded in his office behind whatever paperwork he could find to justify his not leaving there. When his day was done, Charlie pushed past a pair of waiting reporters without as much as a whispered response to their many queries. His drive home did little to abate his vexation.

"Hi, Dad," "Hi, Granddad," Bella and Nessie greeted Charlie in turn as he walked through the front doorway.

Bella and Nessie made it a point to be waiting at the front door when Charlie arrived. Renee and Li'l Phil were in the kitchen. Renee was cleaning it while Li'l Phil ate his dinner. The Cullens made themselves absent from the vicinity in anticipation of the Swan family discussion to come.

"Yes, I'm resigning. No, it's not my idea," Charlie reported in a huff as he stripped off his Jacket and hung it on a coat stand by the front door.

Charlie quickly turned and started off for the kitchen with barely a look toward Bella and Nessie.

"Then why are you doing it?" Bella pleaded as she followed behind him.

"I'm appointed by the mayor, Bella. He can fire me anytime he wants. Either way I'm out of job," Charlie reported in a slightly exasperated tone.

"Well, can't you fight this somehow?" Bella questioned with an astonished inflection.

Charlie walked around the corner to the kitchen and went inside. Li'l Phil quickly took note of him and called out.

"Daddy..."

"Hi," Charlie called back as he walked over to the kitchen sink.

Renee was in the middle of replacing recently used cookware to their assigned locations of rest.

"If I do that Bella," Charlie began with his answer back to Bella. "I'll only be creating problems for Leland."

Charlie began to give his hands a quick rinse under the faucet as Bella and Nessie began their fervent, parallel, protests.

"Forget Leland," Bella argued.

"Who cares about Leland?" Nessie cried out.

Renee gave them all a passing look and then continued to ignore them as she turned to retrieve Charlie's meal from the oven.

Charlie began to dry his hands with a paper towel he extracted off a spool near the sink. He then turned back to face Bella and Nessie with a, you're wasting my time, look.

"Okay look, it's over," Charlie flatly announced as he finished drying his hands. "If I fight Leland over this, all I'm going to be doing is making an enemy of the mayor. I don't like what's happening here anymore than you do. More than you do!" Charlie added as an afterthought. "But the fact remains that nothing good will come from trying to fight it."

Bella and Nessie took a moment to ponder this. As they did Charlie sat himself at the kitchen island and Renee placed his meal in front of him and a glass of tea in front of that.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Bella mournfully exclaimed.

"Me too," Nessie added in turn.

Charlie gave them both a slight bob of his head reluctantly to express his thanks and then started into eating his meal.

"So, what are your plans, Dad?" Bella questioned as she seated herself at the island.

Charlie took a moment to wash down his last bite of food.

"Well, fishing comes to mind," Charlie casually tossed out.

"No, Dad," Bella quickly responded. "You and Mom should think about taking a vacation."

"Yeah," Nessie agreed. "You should go somewhere and relax. Take some time to think about what you want to do next."

Renee continued to withhold any comment regarding this conversation as she intermittently sipped from a glass of wine. Renee watched as her daughter and granddaughter attempted to both assuage and actuate Charlie.

"Yeah, well that's something to think about," Charlie mockingly responded.

Bella paused to note the sarcasm before speaking again.

"So, when is your last day?"

"End of the month," Charlie shortly retorted. "Another eight days of this," he added with a generous helping of anger.

"You sound like you can't wait to leave," Nessie queried with a surprised inflection.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this," Charlie fumed to himself.

"What wasn't supposed to happen?" Bella questioned in response.

"That news report," Charlie explained back in an annoyed tone. "Leland was going to announce the transition on my last day. But Detective Hilborn couldn't keep his mouth shut for that long," Charlie fumed some more.

"Why is Leland hiring this guy anyway?" Nessie asked out of curiosity.

"Because it pays to have friends in high places," Charlie declared with disgust.

"What do you mean?" Nessie questioned with even greater curiosity.

Charlie set his knife and fork down and placed his palms on the table to either side of his plate. He then looked out across the counter with an infuriated expression.

"He's an old cop who recently qualified for his pension and now he wants a quiet place to sit out his years and do nothing, while getting paid for the privilege."

"I'm sorry, Dad," Bella exclaimed softly.

"Yeah, Granddad, I'm sorry too," Nessie repeated softly.

Charlie sat back in his chair and tossed his hands up a foot above the table, palms facing the ceiling, in resignation. He just as quickly set his hands back down beside his plate and stared out into empty space.

"Okay, let's let Charlie eat his dinner," Renee softly interjected

Bella and Nessie quickly conceded to this and left the kitchen. Renee in turn took a seat at the counter, next to Li'l Phil, set her glass of wine down in front of her and looked across at Charlie.

"Fishing, that's the plan?" Renee questioned with a hint of sarcasm.

"The fall salmon season is about to start," Charlie retorted with an astonished expression.


	14. The Messenger

Charlie spent the remainder of the week, from the day that his upcoming resignation was reported, quietly going through the motions of his job. Despite his own inclination to say nothing about his situation, nearly everyone that he knew approached him at different times to give their support and/or condolences. Several job offers were tossed at him as well. Charlie politely gave his thanks for these and promised to consider them over the next two weeks. In this he was telling the truth, even though he had no desire to do anything outside of law enforcement. The prospect of working for the Forks Police Department, in a lesser position, was still available to him. However, this was an offer that he could not bear to consider.

Renee was quite accustomed to saying nothing about Charlie's impending dismissal from his job, or his plans for the future. She understood he was uncomfortable with the topic and had no set plans in place. She avoided the whole subject as if nothing had happened and contented herself with the care of her son. Bella and Nessie were quick to follow her example. In Charlie's presence they said nothing of his job or spoke nothing of his plans. In all other ways they were very much attentive to their father and grandfather, respectively.

The rest of the Cullens were nearly invisible with regards to Charlie and his predicament. They saw no need to interact or intercede in any way regarding this. They suspected, and rightly so, that Charlie would not be receptive to their attentions to his problems. Subsequently, they maintained a discrete distance from the house and primarily from Charlie as they waited on Alice's faint intuitive sensations to become visibly discernable.

Alice's vague vision regarding Patagonia was coming more frequent and detailed as the week progressed, and the Volturi was becoming more distinct at its epicenter. By Friday, next, Alice had a premonition that a Volturi messenger would be calling on them within a week's time. By the following Sunday morning she knew the name of the messenger, Gerard; the time of his arrival, 11:29 PM; the route of his approach and the content of his message. Despite this awareness the Cullens chose to wait on the messenger before acting. This was routine practice for the Cullens. Alice's repetitive lecture about her ability had made them all aware that visualizing the future inherently gave those who knew it the capability of altering it.

"The probability of events happening exactly as I perceive them increases as the event draws near," Alice frequently explained, verbatim. "Visions of the future only become set at the moment they transition into the now."

It was for this reason that the Cullen family of vampires gave Charlie and Renee no advanced warning of their likely plans. They saw no need to apprise them of something that, conceivably, could fail to come to pass. Nessie would have been included in this sequester had she not guessed that something was amiss.

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

"What is it, Mom? What's happening?" Nessie suspiciously inquired of Bella.

"It's nothing," Bella mollified with an offhanded gesture. "We just have some business to attend to."

"From my experience, vampire business is usually a life and death event," Nessie responded back with an insinuating tone.

"Not this time," Bella refuted, "at least not at present. The Volturi want to talk and we need to hear them out."

"The Volturi...?" Nessie questioned with surprise.

"Yes," Bella confirmed. "They've sent someone here to invite us to Volterra. He'll be here tonight."

"Are you sure you can trust them?" Nessie asked in a mildly concerned speech.

"They want to talk, Baby, that's all," Bella insisted. "It has something to do with Patagonia and there may be some trouble there."

"What kind of trouble?" Nessie quickly questioned back.

"We won't know that until after our talk," Bella calmly answered back.

Nessie did not know what more to ask about this. She gave her mother a mournful look as she pondered the possible risks.

"Don't worry, Baby," Bella reassured with a smile. "I won't let anyone get hurt."

Bella understood better than anyone how greatly Nessie valued the vampires that she loved.

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

The Cullens elected to intercept their visitor just inside the perimeter of their declared domain. There was no perceived danger that motivated this. Alice foresaw an uneventful entry all the way into the outskirts of the Swan residence, but she saw nothing of his exit. This, plus the shape-shifter's inherent invisibility within her mind's eye, gave the Cullens reason to be careful here.

Gerard raced across the border into Clallam County shortly after 9:40 PM. The overcast sky and the undeveloped wilderness kept the terrain bathed in the black of night. This was of no inconvenience to Gerard's vampire eyes. He zigzagged about the myriad of trees in the wooded areas and raced across the open spaces with no difficulty whatsoever.

This was not Gerard's first time here. He had spent several months within this vicinity four years earlier, at Aro's behest. He was familiar with the area and knew exactly where he was at all times. He streaked along with the confidence of a vampire that knew precise the path he needed to take to get where he wanted to be. His keen sense of sight, hearing and smell told him that he had a clear track all the way up to the doorstep of the Olympic Coven of Vampires.

"Whoa!" Gerard loudly exclaimed as he suddenly came to a stop.

The rush of air that he had just recently disturbed flew by him, tossing his hair and clothing about as it passed. Standing no more than five yards in front of him was the entire Olympic Coven. Gerard surmised that they had been standing there waiting on his arrival. He was sure he would have noted their movement nearly a full minute earlier had they just arrived. He had all but forgotten how intuitively stealthy these Olympic Vampires could be.

Gerard took a moment to size up his situation. He knew that the Olympic Coven was very touchy about stray vampires within their territory, but he had never heard of them exacting any harsh penalties on the vampires they caught trespassing here. His greatest fear at this moment was that he might be the first.

Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle, Esme, Bella, Edward, Alice and Jasper stood in a line a yard apart, from left to right. They made no movement towards the messenger, nor had they any plan to. They knew why he was there and had no objections to his presence. They quietly waited on this vampire messenger to regain his composure as well as his speech.

Gerard began to speak after coming to the realization that he was in no immediate danger. "I'm..."

"We know who you are," Carlisle abruptly cut him off.

Gerard was startled by the interruption and did not know how to interpret it. After a few seconds of thought, on his part, and a few seconds of silence on theirs, he decided to continue.

"I've come..."

"We know why you're here," Carlisle abruptly interrupted again. "You may tell Jane and Alec that we will make an appearance."

Gerard was once again startled by the interruption and took several seconds to ponder how he should act next. Carlisle had given him the answer that he came to hear, but he had no way of being sure that this answer was in response to the question he came to ask. He considered asking them to spell out exactly what they were agreeing to, but he was more than a little afraid by how they might respond to such a challenge. After a few seconds more of pondering, Gerard turned and streaked off in dismay.

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

"You're going away, all of you?" Charlie queried with a surprised intonation.

"Yes, Dad," Bella reported back succinctly. "It's only for a short while."

It was a quarter past midnight, later that night, and the Olympic Coven had just returned from the Quileute Reservation. They now stood in the living-room of the Swan residence. Standing before them was Nessie, Charlie and Renee. Li'l Phil was the only member of the house that was not present for this impromptu meeting. He was upstairs in his room, asleep. The living-room was barely lit by a lamp and a hallway overhead light. The mood of the room's occupants was a mixture of soberness and concern.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you've never left the peninsula completely unattended before," Charlie challenged again with a hint of suspicion in his tone.

"We've notified Sam and Jacob of our leaving," Carlisle calmly confided. "They will be on their guard."

"But you shouldn't worry," Alice quickly interjected. "You're in no danger here. This has nothing to do with Forks, or the peninsula, or anyone here."

"I'm not worried about anything happening here," Nessie complained at Alice.

"Did you know about this?" Charlie questioned Nessie with a hint of suspicion.

"Yes, Granddad, they told me this morning," Nessie gruffly answered back. "And I don't like it either."

Nessie turned her attention to Carlisle and directed her next statement at him.

"Let them sort out their own problems."

"We're just going to talk," Carlisle gently answered back.

Nessie response to this was to suddenly situate her hands on her hips.

"Does this have something to do with those vampires in South America," Renee asked suspiciously.

"Rumors are rippling through the entire vampire community about these vampires," Jasper reported directly. "This is something we can't ignore."

"Why not...?" Charlie curtly questioned back.

"What's happening in South America affects us all," Edward explained solemnly.

"They can handle it, Dad," Nessie pleaded back. "All you have to do is give them time. Can't you see that if you start running to their rescue it's never going to end?"

Edward could not quickly think of a response that, by his estimation, might ease his daughter's anxiety. As he pondered her question and met her stare, Rosalie filled the silence.

"Don't worry, Baby, we'll be back," Rosalie softly reassured.

"Yeah," Emmett boisterously reinforced. "We're they guys who stomped on the Volturi when they were at the top of their game, remember?"

"I remember, Uncle Emmett," Nessie shortly admonished. "But I think it's a lesson that you haven't fully grasped yet."

Emmett was set aback a little by Nessie's sharp response.

"I agree," Charlie casually put in. "If you keep going out looking for trouble sooner or later, you're going to find more than you asked for."

"None-the-less this is something we have to do," Carlisle softly corrected. "This problem could possibly unravel our world. It could also separate us from the people within it that we most hold dear."

Carlisle locked his eyes onto Nessie's as he expressed the latter part of his statement.

"Don't worry little one, we'll be back," Esme expressed gently and with a smile.

Nessie took a moment to return Esme's stare before responding to her with a stern warning.

"You'd better, Grandmother, or I will be very angry with you."

Nessie maintained a scowl upon her face even as Esme broadened her smile.

The Olympic Coven took their leave several minutes later and slipped away into the night.


	15. Monday Night Footfalls

"Run damn it. Run faster."

Biggs was a burly, six feet four inches tall, two-hundred and eighty pounds, fifty-one-year-old man who was not accustomed to running for extended periods of time. Short, thinning, mostly gray hair adorned his head, and a pair of tattoos was etched onto each of his arms. Over the past thirty years the only times that Biggs could remember running at all was when he was being chased by the police. Too tired to keep up, he continued to huff and puff behind his confederate, as the distance between them grew.

"Come on walrus butt," Don Fowler called back again as he raced past the line of trees in front of him and into the forest beyond.

Five seconds behind, Biggs followed him into the forest. Exhausted, he came to a stop up against a tree to catch his breath.

"Slow down, damn it," Biggs puffed out in a hushed tone.

Don stopped and turned about. He quickly began to search the shadows for Biggs. He did not hear his call for him to slow down. It was the absence of Biggs' foot falls trailing behind that caused Don to search around.

It was early in the evening on the Olympic Peninsula. The last of the light from the day was following the descent of the sun beneath the western horizon. A fading glow was all that was left to illuminate the skyline. The usually green landscape appeared to be several shades of gray beneath the shadow of the earth's circumference and was minutes away from being enveloped by the black of night. The autumn air was brisk and was becoming ever more chilled with the growing darkness.

"Where the hell are you?" Don growled. "Biggs...!" He yelled out again.

"I'm here," Biggs puffed out.

Don could not see him beneath the shadow of the forest canopy and the poor illumination from the sky. He did, however, hear his labored call through the silence between them.

"Get your fat ass in motion," Don yelled back at him. "We don't have time for this."

Biggs took a couple of deep breathes and then stumbled forward in the direction of Don's voice. Don shortly saw the big man coming his way and took the lead once again, at a run. The duo ran, on and off, for another half an hour before coming to a narrow road. Don quickly stooped down behind some shrubbery just off the side of the thoroughfare. Panting, Biggs followed his example, not more than ten feet away. The pair waited there without speaking for another twenty minutes before Biggs' patience wore down from the strain of the silence.

"What if she doesn't come?" Biggs whispered across to Don.

"Shut up. She'll be here," Don scolded back.

Standing all of six feet one inch in height, thirty-seven-year-old Don Fowler was not as tall as Biggs. He was not as large around either. He looked to weigh no more than two-hundred and ten pounds at best. He was, however, physically fit and stronger than the average man his size and weight. A stream of tattoos decorated the length of both his arms and partially about his neck. A full head of short sandy hair adorned his head. There was also a menacing look about him that suggested he was a dangerous person to piss off.

Don and Biggs waited for another ten minutes before the first vehicle came rolling down the road at an unhurried pace. The glow of the setting sun was no longer evident in the sky. The black of the night and the unlit road made the high beams of the approaching vehicle blaze like a lighthouse beacon. The two men secured themselves lower behind their respective bush and cautiously watched the vehicle move toward them. It took another full minute for it travel the distance of two football fields. It was by then thirty yards away. Music could barely be heard spewing from the speakers within the vehicle. The instant the tune, Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven," could clearly be recognized by Don; he sprang out from his place of concealment and ran out into the center of the road, flagging his arms up and down as he did.

The vehicle that was crawling up the road a moment earlier immediately sped up and raced to a stop five feet in front of Don. An instant after that the driver of the vehicle threw open the door, jumped out and raced towards Don with arms stretched wide.

"Don! Oh Baby, you made it," Andrea Sattler loudly exclaimed an instant before she threw her arms about his neck and kissed him on the lips unabashedly.

Andrea Sattler was a forty-three-year-old party girl who had a fondness for hard rock music, motorcycles and men with tattoos, preferably prison tattoos. Her hair was medium length, brunette and arranged into curls that were brushed up and pinned atop her head. Black eyeliner and long false eyelashes were heavily adorned about her eyes. Her lips were accentuated with bright red coloring. Short and thin, she weighed barely one-hundred and ten pounds. This was a physique she put great effort into maintaining. She chose attire that shamelessly accentuated her figure. On this night she was wearing skinny three-quarter length black pants, a red corset top, a taupe colored short leather jacket and black patent leather concealed platform high heel pumps with a bow. She calculated that her figure reinforced her claim that she was still twenty-eight years of age. Some of her acquaintances considered this to be dubious; all others interpreted this as a straight out lie.

Her affinity for Don Fowler was well earned by him. He had been in and out of police custody on numerous occasions starting from the age of seventeen. He had spent multiple years in prison on two separate occurrences, stemming from charges of burglary, assault, robbery and weapons possession. His arms were tattooed with the proof of these imprisonments, and he was at present fleeing from his third incarceration with his cellmate, Larry "Biggs" Higgs.

Don was uninterested in Andrea's display of affection or for a greeting of any kind. He quickly broke free of Andrea's grasp and pushed her back two feet.

"Get in the car," Don ordered as he pointed her towards the driver side door. "Hurry up."

"Okay Baby," Andrea eagerly agreed an instant before turning back towards the car.

Biggs was already rushing towards the vehicle when Don turned his attention towards him.

"Come on!" Don urged in a hushed tone.

Don and Biggs ran over to the rear passenger door and climbed inside the vehicle a second after Andrea had gotten behind the wheel, once again. As soon as the doors were shut Don urged Andrea into motion.

"Let's go!"

Andrea immediately began steering the tan 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe down the road at a speed twice as great as before.

Don and Biggs began stripping out of their orange Clallam Bay Correctional Center jump suits the instant the car began moving. Bared down to his waste, Don climbed up on his seat with his knees and began searching the collection of bags in the rear of the vehicle.

"Did you bring everything?" Don queried Andrea in a desperate tone.

"Yeah Baby," Andrea responded as she drove. "I did just like you said. It's all there."

Don continued to rummage around in the back of the vehicle, examining clothes and footwear in turn. Biggs shortly followed his example. After several minutes of matching sizes, the two men began dressing themselves in civilian clothes.

"I've been thinking, Man," Biggs announced as he wiggled into a pair of pants. "This plan is stupid. We've got wheels. We should just take off," Biggs insisted.

"Yeah Donnie," Andrea gleefully added. "Let's just go for it."

"Hell, I bet those dunderheads don't even know we're gone yet," Biggs tagged on with emphasis.

Don was in the process of tying up his boots when Biggs finished his pitch. He gave him an annoyed look as he continued lacing.

"We've got an hour at best," Don grumbled. "At best an hour," he spoke again in an emphatic tone. "That's if they haven't already discovered that we've escaped. There are only two main roads off this peninsula and the first thing they'll do when they've discovered that we're gone will be to put up road blocks on both of them and start searching every vehicle leaving the peninsula," Don argued. "Now if we do this my way the cops will be scratching their heads for months trying to figure out how we got past them," he attested with confidence. "If we do it your way," he continued with derision. "We'll be back in prison in time for breakfast."

Biggs knew he had no counter argument and looked away dejectedly. Andrea was unperturbed by Don's rebuke and continued driving along in contented silence.

"Stop thinking and just work the plan," Don grumbled at them both after a pause.

"Okay Baby, we'll work the plan," Andrea agreed with a smile as she merged the vehicle, she was driving onto the southbound lanes of Washington State Highway 112.

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

At the Swan residence all was quiet this night. Charlie and Renee went to bed at their usual time for a Monday night. This was invariably during the broadcast of the late-night news. This was as near to a ritual for Charlie as it could be. He generally fell asleep during the day's final news broadcast of the evening and woke up the next morning on queue to begin his workday. He repeated this ritual on this night despite the fact that he had nothing to do at work. Officially, tomorrow was to be Charlie's last day as Chief of Police of Forks. Detective Wayne Hilborn's announcement of his imminent appointment to this position sped up this formality. Charlie spent most of Monday packing his personal possessions and loading them into his police cruiser for the trip home that evening. He was anticipating that he would not have use of this vehicle at the end of the day, tomorrow. The bulk of the department's operation he deferred to the Assistant Chief of Police. He had no expectations for anything to be different on Tuesday. Charlie knew that there was no need for him to make an appearance at all, but this was his habit. He could think of nothing else to do but carry it out to the last.

Renee and Charlie also retired to the same bed this night, as was their practice since he reported his forced resignation to her. Renee's need to be there for Charlie during this momentous event in his life displaced her previous displeasure with him, at least for the time being. Her worries and concerns for the man she now believed she would spend the remainder of her, or his, life with consumed the bulk of her attention. She had no particular feelings about the loss of this job. She was, however, saddened by the loss of Charlie's reason for getting up each morning and charging out the front door.

Li'l Phil had fallen to sleep long before the late-night news began to air and would likely stay that way until an hour past Charlie's departure for work. This was his usual schedule. Nessie was the only member of the household that was acting outside of her normal pattern.

Nessie generally spent her evenings studying until nine o'clock at night. She would then devote the remainder of her awake time grooming and preparing her wardrobe for the next school day. She invariably settled in for sleep between the ten and eleven o'clock hour. On this night she did not. Instead, Nessie attired herself in a comfortable pair of warm up pants, a support bra, a pair of running shoes, and a hooded sweatshirt and then quietly slipped out the front door to the house. Waiting outside, opposite the front door, just beyond the forest's edge, was Jacob. He made no attempt to greet or approach her. He solemnly watched as Nessie descended the front stairs to the house and walked toward him. She shortly stopped directly in front of him.

"Thank you for coming, Jacob," Nessie quietly greeted.

Still looking solemn, Jacob was slow to respond back.

"You picked a strange time to go running. Don't you have school tomorrow?"

Jacob's retort was harsh and deliberately configured so. Nessie betrayed no ill effect from his words or manner. She was equally cheerless in her deportment and required no encouragement from him to be so. She did not meet Jacob's gaze. She cast her eyes down with dread for the purpose of this meeting. After several seconds had passed Jacob gruffly spoke up again.

"So, are we going to run, or just stand here all night?"

"Yeah, let's run," Nessie nervously answered back.

Nessie tentatively turned towards the forest and led the way at an easy jog. A minute into their run Jacob took the lead at a far more aggressive pace. In his human form Jacob was no match for Nessie's speed and athleticism. She, however, was not inclined to challenge Jacob athletically. Nessie easily followed his lead. They ran a zigzag pattern through the forests, in and out canyons and up and down hills outside of Forks. After thirty minutes of this, Nessie called their trek to a halt.

"Jacob, stop," Nessie called out as she stopped herself.

Jacob grudgingly came to a stop. He did not bother to turn around and face Nessie as he fumed over what he anticipated was about to come to pass.

"So, is this the point where you tell me what you brought me out here to say?" Jacob questioned bitterly.

Nessie balked at responding to Jacob's question. She feared to vocalize the words that she felt she had to say.

"So, go ahead and say it," Jacob insisted after a few seconds of silence.

"I like him, Jacob," Nessie softly confessed. "I like him a lot."

Jacob had no response to this at first. His emotions and his logic were at war inside of him. He stood there in silence, with his back to Nessie, as he pondered what his response should be. Sensing the pain that she had inflicted with her words; Nessie spoke up again after a few seconds.

"I'm sorry, Jacob."

"Yeah, well I guess you can't help who you fall in love with," Jacob grudgingly acknowledge with his back still turned to Nessie. "Trust me. I know that all too well," he added with a chuckle.

"It's not that I don't feel something for you," Nessie fumbled out. "It's just that I feel more for...

"Go home, Nessie," Jacob interrupted as he looked back over his shoulder. "You've done what you came out here to do. Go home and rest, you've got school tomorrow."

Jacob stood there for a moment to view Nessie out the corner of his eyes. A few seconds later he slowly turned his attention back to the view in front of him. After taking a deep breath, he leaped into his wolf form and raced off into the night. Nessie stood for several seconds and traced his path into the night. She then turned and walked away in the opposite direction; heart sickened over what she had just done.

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

It was nearly three hours later when the car that Don, Biggs and Andrea were in pulled into a rest area off U.S. Highway 101. The two men, by then, were completely outfitted, from head to toe, in winter weather camping attire.

"Turn off the engine," Don quickly urged Andrea," and the lights.

Andrea promptly complied with his instructions. She then looked back over her seat for Don's next request.

"Did you bring the digital recorder?" Don asked the instant she turned about.

Desperate for his approval, Andrea greedily answered back, "yeah, Baby. I didn't forget. I brought everything you told me to get."

Andrea gave him a broad smile and an affectionate stare as she waited on a word of reward for her diligence. This inaction, with regards to his request, shortly produced the opposite effect.

"Then where is it?" Don demanded loudly.

"Oh, it's right here," Andrea responded as she quickly turned around and dug it out of the glove compartment. "Here it is, Donnie," she continued as she extended the handheld, battery powered digital recorder towards him.

Don quickly took the recorder from her and began examining it.

"The switch on the side turns it on, and then you just push the red button to record." Andrea explained enthusiastically.

Biggs looked on at this exchange noncommittally. Immediately after examining the recorder, Don extended it over to him.

"Okay, make it brief," Don instructed Biggs. "A minimum of fifteen seconds, but no more than thirty... Don't be obvious," Don warned sternly.

Biggs took offense to Don's tone and responded derisively, "I got it."

"What's he going to say?" Andrea excitedly pondered out loud.

"Shut up," Don instantly warned Andrea with an extended finger. "Don't make a sound," he spoke again and reinforced by bringing his finger in front of his lips.

Andrea declared her displeasure with being spoken to in this manner with a pout.

Biggs held the recorder up to his mouth as he pondered what he would say. After several seconds of this he pushed the record button, waited five seconds and then began speaking into the microphone.

"Hey, Baby, you know who this is. I'm sorry; I couldn't just rot there anymore. I know we had plans, but I couldn't do the time. An opportunity came up and I had to take it. Don't be surprised if you see me again someday. I love you, Baby. Tell Janie and Randy I love them. I gotta go, Baby. I love you. Take care."

Biggs held the recorder away from him without pressing the stop record button. Don extended his hand up, palm side out, as a way of instructing Andrea not to say anything. After several seconds had passed, Biggs pressed the stop record button and Don lowered his hand.

"How's that," Biggs questioned Don proudly.

"It'll do," Don responded curtly.

Don reached out and took back the recorder. He played back the recording and listened to it carefully. He was satisfied by what he heard after one hearing. He then turned to Andrea with a stern look and extended the recorder towards her.

"Okay, when you play this recording don't press the play or stop buttons with the recorder next to the phone," Don adamantly instructed. "You got that?"

"Yeah, I got it, Baby," Andrea answered with a smile while collecting the recorder.

"What did I say?" Don questioned right back at her in a demanding tone.

"Don't press the play or stop button when the recorder is next to the phone," Andrea responded with playful sarcasm. "I got it, Baby. Don't worry."

Don paid no attention to her playful display as he rifled his concern right back at her.

"If they hear a click, the game is up. No mistakes."

"I got it, Baby, no mistakes," Andrea acknowledged with an affirmative nod of her head. "I promise. I won't forget."

"You've got the number?" Don questioned sternly.

"Yeah, I got the number right here," Andrea quickly reassured as she patted her purse beside.

"Don't lose it," Don instructed gruffly.

"I won't," Andrea reassured again.

Don took a moment to study her before turning his attention to Biggs.

"Okay, let's go," Don instructed Biggs as he opened the rear passenger door.

Andrea quickly reached back across the top of her seat and grabbed Don with both arms and pulled him towards her.

"I love you, Baby," she confessed excitedly an instant before kissing him on the lips.

Don made no effort to fight this as he opened his door. Andrea greedily kissed him again and again. After several seconds of this, Don broke the connection and backed his way out the driver's side passenger door.

"I love you," Andrea repeated affectionately.

"Yeah, Baby, me too," Don responded insincerely.

Biggs was already at the rear of the car removing a pair of backpacks from the rear compartment. Don swiftly went around to the rear of the car and claimed one of the backpacks. Biggs slammed the rear hatch closed once he had. With backpack in hand, Don walked back around to the driver's side door.

"Don't forget what I said," Don instructed to Andrea through her open window.

"I won't," she responded gleefully.

Andrea started the car and switched on her lights.

"I'll see you on the North Shore of Lake Quinault in four days," Don called out over the roar of the car's engine.

"I'll be there, Baby," Andrea gleefully acknowledge before driving off.

Don and Biggs took a moment to watch her disappear into the distance.

"You sure you can trust that chick not to mess it up?" Biggs queried sardonically as he checked the chamber of the forty-five-caliber revolver that he had just then removed from his backpack.

"Don't worry about it," Don instructed dryly as he stooped down to unzip his backpack. "She's in love. She'll come through."

A second later Don removed a forty-five-caliber revolver from his backpack. After examining the weapon, he and Biggs, inserted their weapons into their coat pockets and donned their backpacks. The two convicts then turned their attentions toward the wilderness south of them and began their trek to cross it.


	16. Working the Plan

Charlie, as a rule, started his workday at seven in the morning. He generally put in ten to twelve hours at work, unless pressured by Renee, for whatever reason, to put in less. He started this Tuesday, his last day as Chief of Police for the City of Forks, at his usual time. He was met at the station with the latest report regarding the escape of two inmates from the Clallam Bay Correctional Center. This was not his first time of hearing of this. A call came into his home, earlier that morning, waking him from his sleep, advising him of this event. Charlie's response to this was to instruct the officer in charge to cancel all days off and to put all officers on mandatory ten hour shifts until further notice.

When he arrived at work Charlie instructed this day's bloated force to be on the lookout for Donald "Don" Fowler and Larry "Biggs" Higgs. He passed out pictures and physical descriptions of the convicts that were provided to him by the Washington State Patrol. He gave orders to his officers to be attentive to anything out of the ordinary and to use precaution when approaching same. He then followed his officers into the streets to stand guard over the community for one last day.

There was no great expectation, at this time, that the two convicts were near to Forks or were likely to come there. This was the thinking favored by the Washington State Patrol and by the Clallam County Sheriff's Department. The correctional center was more than twenty miles away and the last report had the convicts on foot. There was also the aspect that a community as small as Forks would afford two convicts with little means to conceal them. It was considered far more likely that they would either pass by Forks, without stopping, or look to the larger nearby community of Port Angeles for refuge. The steps that Charlie was taking were precautionary just in case everyone was wrong.

Shortly before ten in the morning, that day, a communication came in from the Clallam County Sheriff's Department. In it they reported that the scent of the two convicts had been tracked by dogs to a dirt road nearly two miles outside of the prison and that it ended there. The supposition put forth by them was that the convicts were likely within some form of vehicular transportation and were possibly being aided by one or more accomplices. This report gave Charlie reason to be concerned. He now knew that the convicts could be within his jurisdiction at that very moment. The Clallam County Sheriff's Department agreed with this, but they were doubtful that the convicts would take the risk of stopping anywhere on the peninsula. It was a sound supposition that Charlie had no reason to refute. Nonetheless, he chose to remain very much on his guard.

At a quarter before twelve noon, Mayor Leland Maxwell made a determined attempt to convince Charlie to come in from the field and partake in the welcoming ceremony for the new Chief of Police. Once again Charlie declined the invitation. He had no intention of faking a cheery disposition about something that was personally painful for him. Phony displays of cheer and goodwill was a skill that Charlie did not possess.

Leland was unfazed by Charlie's refusal to attend his news conference. The consummate politician, Leland deftly presented Wayne to a small group of interested members of the community and the press. This meeting was situated in front of the City Hall building.

There was great interest in this event by those who attended. This curiosity centered primarily on the outgoing Chief of Police, Charlie Swan. Leland danced around these questions with the adroitness of a seasoned politician. He assured everyone that this transition was good for Forks and that Charlie was entertaining numerous job offers. He then turned the microphone over to the incoming Chief of Police for the city of Forks, Washington.

Wayne was not a person that anyone would call fat, as Charlie suggested he would be. Standing five feet eleven inches in height, he was thin, near to the point of emaciated. Almost elderly looking in appearance, he seemed poorly configured for running or exerting himself in any way. His hair was heavily streaked with gray and thinning. Wearing an inexpensive gray suit and tie, Wayne stood confidently before the local media and onlookers as he took his turn behind the microphone.

Wayne was particularly good at ingratiating himself with others. He regularly employed this talent in his job as a detective for the city of Seattle. Over the years he acquired numerous friends and acquaintances within the law enforcement community, local politicians and influential private citizens. However, his conviviality and disarming manner had little effect in advancing his career as a Seattle PD Detective. With no chance for promotion within that agency, Wayne sought relief from Seattle's grueling workload by relocating himself and his expertise to the quiet community of Forks. For Wayne, the job of Chief of Police was a necessary condition of this move. He was too old and too tired for a position that required any more effort than administrative control.

Wayne's introductory speech was warm and flattering to the populace of Forks. The few members of the press and a small number of onlookers looked to be receiving his words well. However, their later queries of him, regarding the outgoing Chief of Police, proved them to be less than enthusiastic about the transition.

The numerous speculative questions regarding the timing of his appointment and Charlie's resignation, coupled with the fact that an in-house replacement was not considered, visibly unnerved Wayne. He resented the implication that he bought his way into this job at Charlie's expense. In retaliation to this, Wayne stressed that he was the superior choice for this position because of his many years of service in a high crime community. He implied on three separate occasions that Fork's ill trained and dilettante officers would benefit greatly from his expertise and know how. Leland shortly intervened in response to Wayne's growing irritation and brought the proceedings to a close.

Flustered somewhat by the quizzing from the press, Wayne removed himself to the Fork's Police Station to familiarize himself with the office and the staff. Once there, he was intrigued to find the department in the middle of a manhunt. He had heard news reports regarding the two escaped convicts, but this was the first occasion for him to learn what was being done to recover them. Eager for something to do, Wayne situated himself behind the dispatcher and spent the remainder of the day following the progress of the search.

The Washington State Patrol and the Clallam County Sheriff's Department had nothing of significance to report for the remainder of the afternoon. Roadblocks on the major thoroughfares leading off the peninsula turned up nothing. This nonevent encouraged all the law enforcement entities within Clallam and Jefferson Counties to remain on high alert. For Charlie this meant that he would be working late on his last day as Chief of Police for the city of Forks.

Charlie returned to the police station at a quarter to seven in the evening. He was surprised to find Wayne their monitoring the reports on the manhunt. It was a less than comfortable situation for both of them. Charlie had no reason to think well of his replacement and Wayne was still fuming over his reception by the press. Despite the tension inherent in this situation, both elected to remain in the station and to monitor all reports as they came in.

Wayne had little respect for small town police. It was his prejudice that an officer that had not toughed it out in on the high crime streets of a large metropolis was less than equal to one who had. He was all the more contemptuous of Charlie because of the affinity the community held for him. Wayne betrayed more than a vague impression that Charlie's services were no longer needed.

Charlie, however; was reluctant to leave the building in the middle of this situation. He feared that Wayne would be too unfamiliar with the community to respond appropriately to a seemingly innocuous report. All of his attempts to impress upon his successor the value of his input was brushed aside unceremoniously. Charlie stubbornly remained in place until midnight, at which time he grudgingly surrendered command. Wayne arranged for him to be driven home in the patrol car he came to work in.

**~~~** _line break_ **~~~**

At eleven minutes past three, Wednesday morning, a tan, 1974 Chevy Tahoe merged onto a freeway exit, turned right at the cross connecting street and then left into the parking lot of a large Chevron gas station and convenience store situated at that intersection. The establishment was well lit by streetlamps and lighting on the property. The station was of fairly modern design, with large ceiling to floor windows. A competing Texaco was situated next to it, a half a block down and a McDonald's Restaurant was across the street from it. A small motor hotel was situated a block further down from the restaurant. These establishments, and the roadway in front of them, were equally well lit by streetlamps and private property lighting. Beyond this area, the roadway and surrounding landscape was mostly dark. Two dozen cars were either parked near or moving about these businesses, and better than twice that many people were either in or around the same vicinity. The sound of cars racing down the freeway, both directions, was nearly a constant.

The Chevy Tahoe carefully negotiated its way through the parking lot to a location that was fairly distant from the store and parked. Almost immediately after shutting off the engine, Andrea opened the driver's door and climbed out of the vehicle. She was still wearing the, three quarter length black skinny pants, the red corset top, the taupe short leather jacket and the black patent leather concealed platform high heel pumps that she had on the night before. With a small black purse slung over her shoulder, Andrea quickly shut the door behind her and walked towards the store at a fast pace, not that she was in any great hurry. Her pace reflected her mood. The rhythm of her walk and her happy demeanor nearly caused her to break out into song. After a few seconds of this, she caught herself humming and quickly reigned in her good humor.

Andrea was under strict instructions from Don to be inconspicuous. This was not a talent that came natural for her. Andrea spent most of her life trying to be seen and admired. It took a conscious effort from her to tone down her usually brassy behavior. This adjustment, however, did not alter the manner of her walk. She captured the attention of more than one man as she approached the store. Andrea was not perturbed. This was as inconspicuous as she got.

Situated in front of the store, ten yards down from the front door, was an unattended public phone. Andrea steered a course straight for it. Several seconds later, she secured possession of the phone and quickly withdrew a piece of paper and the digital recorder from her purse. She was very much amused by what she was doing. A perpetual smile was framed upon her face as she dialed the number on the paper. With the recorder held low by her side, Andrea waited. After several seconds had passed, the phone on the other end answered. She quickly activated the play button on the recorder, while it was situated down by her side, and then raised it up to the mouthpiece of the phone. Andrea listened through the earpiece of the phone as the message on the recorder played. She then brought it back down to her side before switching the recorder off. Pleased with herself, Andrea hung up the phone with a smirk, returned the recorder and the paper to the interior of her purse and promptly started back for her car. A minute later Andrea was back inside her vehicle moving away from the combination gas station and convenience store.

Andrea had no way of knowing for sure that Don's plan worked, but she was supremely confident that it had and was giddy with excitement over the idea of having had been a part of it. With the radio loudly playing, "Jack and Diane," Andrea got onto the highway and started back the way she came. As she sped down the freeway, a Seattle police officer was reporting to his superior that he had just monitored a call from Larry "Biggs" Higgs to his wife.


	17. The High Ground

It was a pleasantly cool night in Volterra, by human standards. The ground was wet from intermittent showers throughout the day and night. The smell of clean air and wet pavement mingled throughout the concrete corridors of the community. The streets were quiet. There was little traffic moving about, either vehicular or pedestrian. This was usual for this late hour. Effectively it was Tuesday night. Technically it was, predawn, Wednesday morning.

The Cullen family of vampires filed quietly down the near deserted streets of Volterra in an irregular line. Alice was leading the way. Emmett brought up the rear. Edward, Carlisle, Esme, Bella, Rosalie, and Jasper comprised the middle, in that order from front to back. Their trek to the Clock Tower was a short one. They had traversed much of the distance across Italy at their best speed. They slowed to a walk when the number of humans about made it impossible for them to navigate through them without their notice; blowing past humans at the speed of a blur was the opposite of an unobtrusive approach. By entering the heart of the community at a walk, late at night, the Cullens minimized how many people would see them or likely care if they did.

It took the Cullens only a handful of minutes at a walk to penetrate through to the heart of the community and reach the Clock Tower. There was no one waiting outside to welcome them in. They deftly entered the structure and made their way to the front entrance of the main hall for the Volturi Coven of Vampires. The doors were shut, and all was quiet from within. The Cullens were not dissuaded by this. Alice had already advised them who would be waiting on the other side of these doors.

The Cullens pulled the double doors to the chamber wide open and strode quietly into the room. Carlisle and Esme led the way in, side by side. Edward and Bella followed behind them. Jasper and Alice, followed by Emmett and Rosalie entered the antechamber after them, in that order. Inside the chamber, the family of eight fanned out into a line and walked a quarter of the way across the chamber floor before stopping. Situated about the perimeter of the room were the representatives of eleven covens; the Volturi Coven of Italy, the Rhone Coven of France, the Suffolk Coven of Massachusetts, Strathclyde Coven of the United Kingdom, the Denali Coven of Alaska, the Holstein Coven of Germany, the Newfoundland Coven of Canada, the Tasmanian Coven of Australia, the Pingvellir Coven of Iceland, the St. Petersburg Coven of Russia, and the Amazon Coven of Brazil. Together, they watched in awed silence as the Cullens filed into the room.

Carlisle stood with Esme at his left. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett stood to the right of Carlisle, in that order. Bella and then Edward stood to the left of Esme. Inside the room, the eleven covens waited on the Cullens for some announcement, or gesture. For several there, it was the first time seeing this new dominant coven of vampires. They gawked upon them with anxious anticipation. Nearly all were pondering the question, will the Cullens move to displace the Volturi from their station atop the dais. What all there were not aware of was the extrasensory discussion going on between the Cullens, via Edward's telepathic ability.

Bella was regularly precluded from these mental discussions because of her shielding. This was a fixed part of her person. Her shielding could only be undone by force of will, and once down a continuous conscious effort was needed to keep it that way for extended periods of time. Bella's work around for this hindrance was to learn from experience when the family was communicating in this manner. This was invariably when everyone was standing perfectly still, Edward most of all. She knew that the family was likely mentally linked at these times. This was all the more true when they were standing in front of strangers. As a rule, Bella ignored these communications until signaled by Edward to tap in. This signal always came in the form of a short stare out the corner of his eyes. It was only at this time that Bella would take the time and make the effort to lower her shield so that she could receive Edward's telepathy.

_A thought shortly arose in Carlisle's mind to give greetings to their host, the Volturi._

_"No Carlisle, don't speak," Jasper quickly warned in his thoughts._

_"Why not...?" Carlisle queried back in his mind._

_"What we do now will set the pattern for our association."_

_"I agree," Rosalie mentally responded in her thoughts. "We should make them bow to us."_

_"Yeah...!" Emmett mentally reinforced._

_"No!" Esme quickly reacted in her thoughts. "We didn't come here to fight. We need to use this opportunity to mend our relationship with the Volturi."_

_"Or not," Alice mused back. "Breaking Jane's neck might be amusing."_

_"We are here by invitation," Carlisle retorted in his thoughts. "We will not be the ones to turn this into a conflict."_

_"How we conduct ourselves now will shape the way we are perceived by all here," Jasper explained in his mind._

_"I agree," Edward concurred with this thought._

_"We should at least wait for them to come down to our level," Rosalie asserted in her mind._

_In his thoughts, Carlisle tacitly acceded to Rosalie's view of things._

Carlisle stood his ground and waited on the Volturi to make the move. After a short, awkward, silence, Jane's impatience got the better of her.

"The Olympic Coven has come at last," Jane announced to the assembly, haughtily. "I suppose now we can proceed with our discussion."

Carlisle's only response was to cross his hands behind his back.

"I trust you know why I summoned you here," Jane continued sternly as she stared down upon the Cullens.

Carlisle and family suddenly turned around in unison and started to leave, as if they were cued by a director.

"Wait," Jane yelled out, more so out of surprise than concern.

The Olympic Coven came to a stop all at once. All eyes in the chamber were upon them as they froze in their stance; their backs still turned towards the Volturi. Jane took a moment to ponder the situation. She then glanced, in turn, at the expressions on the faces of the members of her coven, standing to either side of her. They looked to her with knowing stares. It quickly became evident to Jane that the decision was hers to either acquiesce or decline to the Olympic Coven's unspoken demand for parity. A few seconds later she began her descent of the four steps to the dais. Alec, Gerard and Efren followed her lead, a step behind. As soon as the Volturi Coven was situated firmly on the floor at the foot of the dais, on an equal level to all others, the Olympic Coven turned back around in unison. After taking a few seconds to study the line of Volturi vampires in front of him, Carlisle calmly responded to Jane's query.

"I suspect we are all here because of the trouble in the south of Argentina," Carlisle responded to Jane's original question.

"Yes," Jane acknowledged with no small hint of a bruised ego.

"That's so surprising to me," Alice announced with a sly smile directed at Jane. "I could have sworn I heard a little birdie tell me that the Volturi was taking care of that problem."

Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Edward found humor in Alice's words and snickered behind them. Jane seethed beneath this veiled insult. Alec promptly spoke up on her behalf.

"They proved to be a bigger problem than we expected," Alec answered in a stern tone of voice.

"Even for the great and powerful Jane," Alice countered with feigned shock.

Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Edward and even Bella grinned a little at this. Jane's only response was to grind her teeth. Carlisle and Esme were the only members of the Olympic Coven who were not amused by Alice's levity. The other vampires within the chamber watched this exchange with intrigued silence.

"You're looking very sour tonight, Jane," Edward announced craftily. "What's wrong? Couldn't you find anyone to torture?"

Jane stared back at Edward with an expression that could not be mistaken for anything other than enmity. As she did Emmett let loose with a burst of laughter. Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and Bella sported wide smiles that barely contained their grins.

"The night isn't over yet," Jane hissed back.

"Now that's the Jane I remember," Edward sneered, "always looking ahead for her next victim."

"I've been having a little trouble finding someone who can squirm as well as you," Jane retaliated.

Edward took a moment to glare at Jane before responding

"You know, Jane," Edward bantered back pleasantly. "You were so much more amusing when you were Aro's lap dog."

The Cullens, minus Carlisle and Esme, laughed once again. On the Volturi side, Efren began to fidget in his stance. His hands quickly curled into fists as his whole body went tense with anger. This heightened tension of his did not escape the notice of this room full of vampires, but only one there thought it interesting enough to give it thought. Esme became immediately intrigued by this attractive young vampire, but not because of his reaction. It was the realization that he was the only member of the Volturi inclined to be protective of Jane's feelings. The intimation of a smile turned up the corner of her lips as she fathomed the emotion producing this effect.

"This is unproductive," Alec announced to the room.

'"I agree," Esme promptly supported.

A momentary silence fell over the room as the two covens faced-off. The room full of vampires continued to look on with seemingly unending interest.

"Where is Renata?" Carlisle shortly queried, after a quick scan of the room.

"She, Demetri and Felix did not return from their expedition to South America," Kadin spoke up before any of the Volturi could respond.

Carlisle looked to Kadin at his ten o'clock and then quickly back to Jane with a surprised expression.

"Is this true?"

"Yes," Jane grudgingly confessed with a word.

"Poor Jane," Rosalie snidely put in. "Running home, with your tail between your legs, minus three of your number is becoming a habit for you."

Emmett laughed once again, as Alice, Jasper and Edward grinned behind wide smiles. Angered near beyond her control, Jane stepped slightly forward into a hardened stance. Her arms went rigid and extended slightly out away from her body. Mimicking her arms, the fingers of her hands were spread wide apart as well. Bella clenched into a hardened stance as well, in response to Jane's new posture.

"Enough," Esme quickly spoke up with a stern look towards Rosalie. "We are not here to add fuel to old rivalries."

Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper and Edward quickly brought their levity under control in response to this rebuke. Esme then looked to Jane with a much softer expression. She, in turn, was taken by surprise by Esme's inoffensive countenance. She focused in on Esme's pleasant demeanor and began to gawk with wide eyed astonishment. She knew just from the sight of her that Esme meant her no harm or discomfort. A feeling, that she could only surmise to be gratitude, welled up in her. Encouraged by this, Esme gave her a restrained smile, as though she could not stop herself from giving it. Jane was completely disarmed by this. Embarrassed by her stunned appearance, she backed away one step and looked away. She suddenly became aware that she was falling under the spell of a powerful nurturing presence that was conjuring in her an overwhelming desire to surrender to it. In her mind, Jane began to build her resistance. She was determined not to like this vampire.

Carlisle took advantage of the silence that slipped over the room and turned his attention to Kadin.

"Hello Kadin."

"Hello, Carlisle," Kadin answered back. "It's been a long time."

"Yes, it has," Carlisle responded in turn. "And how are you faring this century?"

"I do okay," Kadin returned politely. "But not as well as you, I hear."

"Time has been kind," Carlisle concurred with a slight bow.

Carlisle and Kadin shared a moment of recognition as they looked upon each other. Two seconds later Carlisle queried for more information.

"What do you know of this?"

"Only what the Volturi have told me," Kadin responded pleasantly.

"And that is?" Carlisle pushed for more.

"That they were set upon by a pack of invisible, flying vampires," Kadin responded whimsically.

Carlisle turned to look upon Jane with a dubious scowl.

"All of them?" Carlisle challenged.

"Each one was indistinguishable from the other in capabilities," She defiantly asserted.

Carlisle gave Jane hard study as she fiercely defied his stare. After a few seconds of study Carlisle quickly turned to face Eleazar standing at his seven o'clock position. Carmen was at his side. Kate and Tanya declined to attend this assembly as an expression of their disgust for the Volturi.

"Is this possible?" Carlisle questioned Eleazar somberly.

"Possible? Yes," Eleazar answered softly. "But I suspect it is highly implausible even for a group of vampires spawned from the same mortal parents."

"Believe it," Jane yelled out.

Carlisle quickly turned about in response to her outburst.

"There's something out of the norm with this Patagonian Coven," Jane continued less boisterously.

"They are not of the same mortal parents," Kadin put in softly. "At least two of them are vampires known to us if what we were told is true."

"What reason would we have to lie to you?" Alec asserted loudly to the room.

"To disguise your own shortcomings perhaps," Panos of the Holstein Coven glibly put in.

"Shortcomings or no," Alec argued back. "You know us. It would have to be a powerful coven to best us in battle."

Carlisle took a second to give the Volturi a quizzical study. All four of the remaining Volturi stood defiantly before him. Carlisle then turned to Edward for a more in-depth analysis. Edward knew immediately what he wanted and responded to it just as quickly.

"They tell the truth, Carlisle."

"Even if this were true," Panos challenged. "The famed Volturi should have been more than a match for a pack of invisible, flying vampires."

"They levitated rocks and hurled them at us from across a wide space," Efren roared back angrily.

"They moved as one," Alec followed in turn and in temper.

Carlisle took alarm from Alec's words and Edward, in turn, took alarm from Carlisle's thoughts.

"If we had not sacrificed Felix, they would have killed us all," Alec continued to defend. "They attacked like a pack of predators focused on a single prey."

"You say they moved as one?" Carlisle quickly questioned Alec directly.

Alec focused in on Carlisle before responding.

"They attacked whatever they perceived to be the greatest threat, as if their thinking was linked somehow."

Alec paused to ponder the description he was trying to make.

"But their actions seemed ungoverned. There was no plan to their actions."

"It was as if they could not hold their attentions to a single objective?" Carlisle led Alec into his question.

"Yes," Alec quickly agreed.

"It was as if their minds were individually scattered, but collectively motivated?" Carlisle queried again in a leading manner.

"Yes," Alec eagerly agreed again.

All within the room, minus Edward, focused in on Carlisle with curious stares. Edward held his attention onto Alec as he read his thoughts. Carlisle shortly turned to Edward for a report on Alec's responses.

"He speaks the truth," Edward quickly answered the unspoken question.

Carlisle paused to ponder this.

"What is it, Carlisle?" Eleazar shortly queried his friend.

"Yes," Kadin quickly supported. "Tell us what you know, Carlisle."

"It's the blood," Carlisle softly announced. "They're sharing their blood amongst themselves."

"So, this is your doing," Jane accused spitefully as she stepped into her words.

Esme in turn stepped forward into her response.

"This is Aro's doing," Esme argued back at Jane with an angry glare.

Jane quickly backed down from her assault due to the displeasure she felt from being under Esme's angry glare. A second later she became angry with herself for not being able to bear the sight of her disapproval.

"I thought the blood poisoning made vampires subservient?" Panos queried Carlisle suspiciously.

"It does when the poisoning is one way," Carlisle answered reflectively.

"So, you're saying they're all taking each other's blood," Kadin interrogated softly.

Carlisle hesitated to answer as he scanned the room. All eyes were upon him. Each pair appeared to be impatient for his report.

"I briefly tested cross poisoning on an enclosed group," Carlisle began somberly. "I used four vampires and fed each of them the blood of the other three. The effect seemed to have no useful value. Aro dismissed it as a dead end."

"What were the effects?" Kadin pressed for details.

"They became almost of a single mind, as if their individual thoughts became the property of the group. Their thinking, feelings and even their intuition seemed to become an amalgamation of all four. They became their own little coven and more. They became a hive. Each one totally dedicated to the health, welfare and defense of the whole."

"Did they share abilities?" Kadin pressed for more.

"They had none to share," Carlisle answered after a thought. "But it was a speculation that I briefly considered at the time."

"Why is that?" Kadin quickly queried again.

"Blood poisoning makes a vampire receptive to the feelings and the mindset of the blood donor," Carlisle spoke aloud as he pondered this scenario. "The vampire that is poisoned is completely receptive to the wishes and feelings of the donor vampire and is always eager to please him or her.”

Jane was embarrassed to hear that description spoken aloud and had all she could do to avoid showing the sensation.

“The donor vampire feels nothing in return,” Carlisle continued to explain. “He or she is neither un-naturally receptive to the feelings of the recipient nor reflexively ingratiating."

"So, you're saying these Patagonian vampires are both donors and receivers," Panos verbally concluded, "and they are sharing their minds and abilities between them."

"I am saying this is a possibility," Carlisle responded succinctly.

A commotion of talk erupted between a dozen different groups within the chamber. The Olympic and Volturi Covens stood quiet as this exchange went on. The gist of their collective conversations was concern over the level of threat this vampire hive presented. Fear that a monster had been let loose among them was the overall perception expressed in their tone. After a brief time of this, Kadin raised his arms and stepped between the Volturi and Olympic Covens.

"Okay," Kadin announced loudly.

The chamber quickly settled into silence and waited on his next words.

"Now that we know what these vampires are, what do we do about them?" Kadin questioned the room.

"We don't do anything," Panos promptly responded. "This is the work of the ruling coven."

"There is no ruling coven," Carlisle quickly contradicted.

"For two thousand years, the Volturi put down all challenges to the covenant," Nasrin of the Suffolk Coven disputed. "As their usurpers, the task falls to you."

"The Olympic Coven usurped no one," Carlisle argued back.

"Nonetheless, you are the dominant coven," Faraji of the Strathclyde Coven challenged.

"There is no ruling coven," Carlisle insisted boisterously. "We are equals here. This is as it always should have been."

"Still," Panos spoke up angrily. "It was you who introduced us to blood poisoning. I think it only fair that the Olympic Coven resolves this problem."

"I agree," Euna of the Newfoundland Coven quickly seconded.

"I agree," was repeated, in turn, by twenty different vampires about the room.

Carlisle and family searched about them at the chorus of voices. It appeared that Eleazar, Carmen, Kadin and the Volturi were the only ones there who were not voicing support for this proposition. After a brief time of this, Carlisle stiffened his posture, stepped away from his family and glared at the room full of vampires. The room went quiet as all waited on his words.

"I do not accept this appointment," Carlisle loudly defied.

The room briefly went quiet again as all there looked to the other for a response. Shortly Kadin stepped towards Carlisle and seized the silence.

"I think all here agree that the vampire covenant must be defended," Kadin spoke mischievously as he postured for all in the room.

Murmurs of agreement came from all quarters.

"And if we are all equals here," Kadin continued. "Then we should all be prepared to abide by the will of the majority with regards to our mutual concerns."

Again, agreements from all quarters were shouted out.

Carlisle quickly took note of what Kadin was doing and ruffled his brow in anger.

"I will not sacrifice my family to the will of this impromptu congress," Carlisle roared into the face of Kadin. "This is a task that we should all be undertaking."

"I agree," Eleazar quickly supported as he stepped forward.

"That's true, Carlisle," Kadin continued to slyly debate. "We could all go down there and confront this Patagonian Coven, but what if they're not there. What if they've moved on and are wreaking havoc someplace else? I don't think it would be very smart for all of us to abandon our territories to go chasing after a handful of vampires."

"But that's exactly what you're suggesting that I do," Carlisle argued back.

"In your absence, it will be the duty of all here to guard your territory against all intruders," Kadin returned with a slight bow.

Nearly all in the chamber followed Kadin's lead and directed abbreviated bows towards Carlisle. He, in turn, took a moment to observe this.

"I will not reduce my family to cannon fodder for this assembly," Carlisle vehemently spoke back.

"Carlisle is right," Ludwig of the St. Petersburg Coven yelled out. "If we are to be equals here, then this is a task that should be shared by the whole."

"Fine," Kadin affably countered. "I was simply suggesting that we commission our most powerful coven to this task."

Once again, murmurs of agreement came from around the room.

After a pause Kadin silenced the murmurs by loudly speaking up again.

"But if we are to be fair about this, then I suspect we could enlist a team of volunteers to attend to this."

"No," Kiska of the Tasmanian Coven spoke up. "This has always been the work of the dominant coven."

"I agree," Panos spoke up forcefully. "This is the work of the dominant coven."

Murmurs of agreement again came from around the room.

"But the Olympic Coven does not accept this position," Kadin yelled out with hands held up and a smile on his face. "And Ludwig is right; we cannot compel a coven to do our bidding. So, I would like to make a suggestion."

Suddenly a great silence fell over the room. The slightest movement would have been magnified fourfold, had anyone there dared to make one.

"Since you have knowledge of this manner of vampire, Carlisle and you have firsthand experience with them, Alec," Kadin pleasantly spoke as he extended his hand to both vampires in turn. "I suggest you both lead an expedition of your own design to Patagonia and resolve this problem."

The silence about the room continued to hold as all there waited on Carlisle's and Alec's response. After a brief pause Kadin spoke up again.

"How say you both? Do you accept this commission?"

Carlisle pondered this suggestion as Alec deferred to him with a look.

"The covenant must be defended," Panos briefly broke the silence with this stern declaration.

Carlisle feared to look back upon his family. He felt that Kadin's compromise was not unreasonable and Panos' declaration was not without merit. He also knew that if he accepted this commission his family would follow him, and that nothing he said would stop them.

In the minds of the Olympic Coven, minus Carlisle, this was a decision that was already in the makings. Edward read Carlisle's mind and shared this information with the rest of the family. Even Bella was called into this mix. With a glance from her mate, she suppressed her shield. After a quick poll between them they came to an agreement.

"We accept the commission," Edward spoke up loudly.

"As do we," Jane defiantly yelled out an instant later.

Kadin took a position so that both covens were fixed in the corner of his eyes and extended a slight bow from the hips to them both, with a smile.


	18. A New Day

Charlie was awakened early Wednesday morning by his clock. The late hours he put in at work, the night just past, left him too exhausted to awaken ahead of the alarm. Instinctively, he silenced the clock with a soft swat of his hand. Still groggy from his night's sleep, Charlie began to ready himself for another day of work. Renee quickly put a hand on him and gently restrained him from rising out of the bed. After a moment of thought, he remembered that he had no place to be this morning. He settled back into his bed and fell off to sleep again.

Three hours later, Charlie was awakened by a thumping sensation. At first his newly conscious mind could not distinguish exactly what kind of sensation this was. He could not be sure if he were hearing it or feeling it. For an instant he thought he might have been dreaming it. He quickly dismissed that as his mind began to focus. At that moment it suddenly dawned on him that it had to be his heart thumping extremely hard. A surge of alarm rapidly pushed his dazed mind to full consciousness. It was at this moment that he became aware that the thumping was Li'l Phil bouncing up and down on his bed.

Relieved and amused by the sight of his would-be stepson dancing about on his bed, Charlie reached up, grabbed him about the waist, pulled him down off his feet and began tickling him.

"What are you doing, you little monster?" Charlie jokingly queried as he inflicted Li'l Phil with tickles.

Li'l Phil squirmed under the assault, laughing and giggling profusely, until Charlie released his grip on him. An instant later, Charlie clasped Li'l Phi's head between his hands and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Good morning to you too," Charlie exclaimed as he sat up on the side of his bed.

"Do it again," Li'l Phil requested as he climbed back onto his feet in the center of the bed.

"No, you don't," Charlie instructed after getting up on his feet.

An instant later, he picked Li'l Phil up from the bed and set him down on the floor. With a little pat on the rump, he set Lil Phil in motion out the door.

"Go downstairs and play."

Li'l Phil was fully dressed for the day. Charlie took note of this and concluded that he had slept well past his normal wake up time. The aroma of breakfast and coffee drifted into the room through the open door. Charlie turned for the bathroom and started his day.

On top of not having a job to go to, Charlie had no idea how he was going to fill his day. What worried him even more was that he had no plans for the foreseeable future. For the past two weeks he had been procrastinating about making a decision regarding his life, but as the morning progressed, he became increasingly more aware that the time had come for him to complete this task.

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

While Charlie was lamenting over the choices before him Nessie was at school eagerly anticipating the task ahead for her. The event of the night before had been all but forgotten. Her feelings for Jacob and her concern for his wellbeing were on hold. Her mind was too busy entertaining thoughts about Sean. Since Sean's arrival at Forks, school was a place of excitement and fantasy for her. Being there was an escape from all other thoughts and concerns.

This day did have greater significance for Nessie than any other before. She was looking forward to speaking with Sean, for a reason beyond her usual flirtatious motive. She had high hopes for this meeting and its anticipated aftermath. Nessie delayed leaving the room at the end of her attendance in his class. She wanted to speak with him when no one was around to overhear her words. As the next to the last student trailed out of the room, Nessie strolled up to Sean's desk at the front of the room.

Sean was made more than a little unnerved by this. He expected the usual flirty goodbye as she left the room, but this impromptu visit had him a little worried about what it portended. Just as Nessie stopped in front of him, he quickly glanced at the door to check if anyone was there.

"Nessie, what can I do for you today?" Sean queried in his best authoritarian tone.

"Well, I was wondering," Nessie began playfully as she leaned slightly forward onto his desk, "with you being new to Forks, has anyone told you about the Harvest Dinner this Friday?"

"I do recall someone mentioning that to me," Sean answered back suspiciously, "and I've seen the flyers on the walls."

"Oh great," Nessie responded enthusiastically. "I was afraid no one had told you about it."

"Oh yes, it's kind of hard to miss," Sean responded with a nod of his head.

"Then you are coming?" Nessie queried with a smile. "I'm donating four pies this year."

"I wasn't really planning to," Sean pondered out. "I mean I have things I can be doing with that time."

"Oh, but you have to come," Nessie insisted cheerfully. "The food is great, there's such a large selection and it's inexpensive. Mr. Bowden," Nessie continued with a pout, "if you don't come you will be missing out on the best meals you ever had and then I'll feel terrible because I failed to convince you to attend."

"I'll have to think about it," Sean responded in an unsure voice.

"Well, I tried," Nessie spoke back dejectedly. "If a cheap, lavish meal can't convince you, then it must be me or maybe you're just afraid of my cooking."

"I'm not afraid of your cooking, Nessie," Sean spoke back in a submissive tone. "I'm sure you're a great cook."

"Then it must be me," Nessie answered back petulantly.

Sean took a moment to give Nessie an exasperated look before speaking again.

"Okay, I'll attend the Harvest Dinner."

"Good," Nessie responded with a smirk.

Nessie shortly turned and started for the door. She stopped just short of reaching it and looked back to give Sean a parting remark.

"You should get there around six. That's when the largest selection will be there, and you'll be just in time to get a piece of my pie before it's all gone."

With a smile on her face, Nessie turned and walked through the doorway and down the hall.

Sean was more than a little suspicious about Nessie's motive for inviting him to the Harvest Dinner. He had learned from experience that she could be deceptive. He considered her request that he sample her pie as too obvious to be the real reason she wanted him there. The more he thought about it, the more concerned he became about Nessie's hidden agenda. He knew that a public place with lots of people about would be far too dangerous a locale for even the hint of impropriety.

Nessie was the opposite in this. She knew from experience that the Harvest Dinner would the perfect location for her to accidentally bump into her Calculus teacher. She considered this to be doubly so the moment she decided to donate four pies to the event. She came to that decision the instant she came up with the idea of meeting Sean there. Teenagers rarely attended these dinners solo. Nessie knew that a donation to the event would make her solo presence appear to be a natural happening.

Nessie desperately wanted more than brief flirtatious moments at school. She wanted to socialize with Sean. She wanted to spend time with him alone, even if it had to be within a crowded room. She calculated that the Harvest Dinner would give her the opportunity to desensitize the community to their public association. In her mind she had already worked out a masterful plan whereby she would merrily mix and mingle among members of the community there, being sure to favor as many people as she could with her time and her smiles. She surmised that this would make her attention to any one person appear to be innocent occurrence and, hopefully, it would embolden Sean to be less circumspect with regards to such chance encounters. Nessie was happily prepared to play this role of the happy little community helper for the rest of the school year, as long as it had the effect of increasing her time with Sean.

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

"Hi, Charlie," Jacob called out as he climbed out of his 72 Dodge Challenger. "How's civilian life treating you?"

Charlie had been raking leaves in front of the house into one large pile when Jacob drove up. He stopped what he was doing the moment he heard the car approaching.

"So far, so good, I suppose," Charlie answered back unenthusiastically.

Charlie guessed that Jacob had come there to see him since Nessie was still at school. He stood there; rake in hand, waiting for the punch line of his visit. He suspected it would probably be some words of support, or a pep talk. He was prepared to endure it without interruption, and to thank him quickly for it, in the hope this would shorten the ordeal. He did not care for the sympathy that he was getting from all his friends. This had nothing to do with him not appreciating their affection and everything to do with the obligatory expression of gratitude from him. By the end of the whole encounter he often felt like he was supporting them. Charlie had just as soon they say, "hi Charlie," and let it be at that.

"Have you heard anything about that manhunt that's going on?" Jacob inquired as he stopped a few feet in front of Charlie.

A little surprised by the question, Charlie hesitated for a moment to ponder the reason behind it.

"Not recently; why? Did something happen?"

"No," Jacob responded nonchalantly. "I just thought you might know something about it."

"Well yeah, Jacob, I've been following the news like everyone else," Charlie responded in a slightly peeved tone. "But since I'm not Chief of Police anymore the hourly reports have slacked off a little."

"Hey, I'm sorry," Jacob quickly replied as he took a slight step backwards and tossed his hands up, chest high, in a surrendering display. "I just thought you might have some back-door information."

"No, Jacob. No back door," Charlie countered emphatically. "I'm out. That means I'm all the way out."

Charlie took a moment to examine Jacob for the effect of his words and to give emphasis them.

"Don't worry about it," Charlie continued with finality as he turned his attention back to the leaves. "They're going to catch these guys, probably before the end of the day."

"I don't think so," Jacob puzzled back.

This response piqued Charlie's interest. He momentarily stopped his raking as he turned to look at Jacob.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, it's just that I took off on a run Monday night up that way," Jacob carefully began his narration.

"I take it, you were on all fours at the time," Charlie slyly interrupted.

"Yeah, it works better that way when I'm covering that much ground," Jacob countered with more than a hint of sarcasm.

"Go ahead," Charlie dryly urged.

"Anyway, I crossed the trail of two people, men by the smell of them, not far outside of that prison," Jacob explained. "The trail was fresh.

"So?" Charlie urged again.

"I came across their trail again early this morning in the park, with some alterations," Jacob tossed out the latter part with a quick flicker of his right hand.

"And what does that mean?" Charlie duplicated the hand gesture.

"They're probably wearing new clothes," Jacob answered back confidently.

Charlie took a moment to ponder this, with an expression of confusion across his face, before asking his next question.

"So, you were just out there running around for two days?" Charlie queried with an amazed inflection.

"I had a lot on my mind," Jacob responded dryly.

"Okay, Jacob," Charlie responded with a shake of his head. "What does this all mean?"

"There were dogs tracking these guys Tuesday morning," Jacob quickly responded. "There are no dogs tracking these guys now."

With a look of relief that he finally got to the end of this story; Charlie began his instructive response with an exasperated tone of speech.

"Don't worry about it, Jacob. They may have lost the dogs, but the Sheriff's Department and Search and Rescue should be combing through that sector as we speak. So, just don't worry about it. Those guys know what they're doing. They'll find them."

"I don't think so, Charlie," Jacob responded hesitantly.

"Why is that?" Charlie quickly challenged.

"Last night, I couldn't travel a straight line for more than a mile, up that way, without coming across someone from the Sheriff's Department. By sunrise they were all gone; the dogs, horses, helicopters, everything gone. So, I just thought you might know something that I don't, because as far as I can tell, those escapees are still in that park."

"Have you called the Sheriff's Department with this?" Charlie queried even as his thoughts rolled this information about in his head.

"Oh no, that's not a conversation I'm having," Jacob adamantly declined. "This is why I'm telling you, Charlie."

"Ah hell," Charlie responded dejectedly as he tossed the rake to the ground.

"Hey man," Jacob spoke up blandly. "I just thought somebody should tell those guys that whatever they're doing, it's wrong."

Charlie pondered Jacob's narration for a short time more before speaking again.

"Are you sure they're still in that park?" Charlie questioned anxiously.

"Unless they sprouted wings and started flying, they're there," Jacob answered definitively.

Charlie turned with a huff and started back towards the house. Jacob followed his example and set off for his car.

"You know, Jacob," Charlie yelled back after stopping and turning around. "I don't need this crap. I'm supposed to be a civilian now."

"Yeah well, I guess we're both having a bad day then," Jacob grumbled back solemnly.

Charlie watched as Jacob climbed into his car and drove off. He thought to question him about his bad day, but he was too peeved about the prospect of calling into the Forks Police Station and speaking with Hilborn again. Charlie had no desire to appear to be a meddling ex-cop who could not keep away from the action. He had seen his share of retired police officers who could think of nothing better to do than hang around the station and talk shop. Charlie had no intention of becoming such a person and he fiercely did not want to be perceived as one. However, his instincts told him that he should check to see if Jacob was right about the Clallam County Sheriff's Department backing away from the search. He knew that if these two convicts were in the Olympic National Park, then anyone they encountered would likely be in mortal danger.

There was no one at the Clallam County Sheriff's Department that Charlie could count on to give him information about an ongoing investigation. He knew that if he was going to find out what was happening and why, he needed to speak with someone in the Forks Police Department. Charlie quickly strode into the house and up to his bedroom. After closing the door, he dialed out to the in-house number to the dispatcher of the Forks Police Department. Officer Keith Struthers picked up on the other end before the end of second ring.

"Dispatch," Keith loudly announced with practiced proficiency.

"Hi, Keith, this is the Chief..., I mean this Charlie. How are you doing?"

Halfway into his greeting, Charlie stopped himself from giving his former title as an identifier.

"Hi, Chief, how are you doing?" Keith queried with an inflection of excitement.

"I'm good," Charlie responded back unconvincingly.

"What can I do for you?" Keith continued in the same tone.

"I just heard that the Sheriff's Department is backing off the fugitive manhunt, have they found these guys yet?"

Charlie tailored his question in a way that suggested he was still in the know about activities in and around Forks. He did not want Keith to think he was doing something that he should not.

"No, not yet, the last that I heard is that they're in Oregon." Keith eagerly volunteered with a laugh. "I bet old Sheriff Harrison was snorting like a bull when he found out they slipped by him."

Sheriff Allan Harrison was not one to waste an opportunity to grandstand. This was a commonly held perception by members of the law enforcement community in and about Clallam County.

Charlie ignored the frivolity in Keith's tone and homed in on the part that interested him the most.

"You sure these guys are out of the state," Charlie questioned directly.

"Yeah," Keith responded defensively. "The whole show just packed up and moved to Oregon. The U.S. Marshals were here yesterday. They packed up and left early this morning."

"Why do they think they're in Oregon?" Charlie questioned urgently.

Surprised by Charlie's tone, Keith hesitated to answer.

"I guess somebody spotted them," Keith speculated.

"But you don't know that for sure?" Charlie quickly challenged.

"No, but why else would they run down there," Keith responded in a slightly confused tone of voice.

Charlie stopped to consider this answer.

"Is everything okay, Chief?" Keith questioned after a pause.

"Yeah, Keith, I'm fine," Charlie answered after a moment of thought. "I'm just concerned about this pull back by the Sheriff's Department."

"You think they still could be here on the peninsula?" Keith queried with a curious inflection.

"Yes," Charlie answered back directly. "Is Hilborn there?" Charlie questioned without hesitation.

"Yeah, he's here," Keith reported back.

"Let me speak with him."

Charlie knew that the County Sheriff would take the call from a sitting Chief of Police, within his territory, without hesitation. He was not quite as sure that Sheriff Allan Harrison would take his now that he was no longer in that position. Sheriff Harrison disliked the former Police Chief of the City of Forks greatly and Charlie had no doubt that the reason behind this was entirely his doing.

Sheriff Allan Harrison was, in Charlie's estimation, a fulltime politician and a part-time officer of the law. He had no patience for Sheriff Harrison's showboating antics and made no attempt to disguise this from him. To Charlie's regret, the voters of Clallam County were in a disagreement with him about this. Sheriff Harrison's tough talk on crime and overly dramatized arrests kept him gainfully employed through two elections. In Charlie's mind politics and police work did not mix and Sheriff Allan Harrison was the proof of this premise.

"Hi, Charlie, what can I do for you?" Chief Wayne Hilborn dryly inquired a second after picking up the phone.

"I think Sheriff Harrison is making a mistake. He shouldn't be pulling his officer's back from this manhunt," Charlie quickly asserted.

"So, why don't you tell him that?" Wayne responded halfheartedly.

"It would carry more weight if it came from you," Charlie insisted. "As the Chief of Police of Forks, you have a vested interest in how he runs the Sheriff's Office."

Charlie heard and exasperating sigh a moment before Wayne countered this proposal.

"Listen, Charlie, I understand that you and I do things differently and that's normal. But let me tell you the one thing I don't do. I don't tell another commanding officer how to run his department."

"I'm not suggesting that you tell him how to run his department," Charlie disputed. "I just think you should confer with him about security issues that overlap between the Forks Police Department and the Sheriff's Department."

Once again, Charlie could hear Wayne's exasperation over the phone.

"There is no security issue here," Wayne adamantly insisted. "These convicts are no longer in the county. They're not even in the state."

"But you can't be sure of that until they're caught," Charlie quickly argued back.

"I'm sure," Wayne responded in a calming voice after a moment of pause.

"What makes you so sure?" Charlie questioned with astonishment.

"The Seattle P.D. traced a phone call from one of the convicts to a community in Oregon, not far from the California border," Wayne continued to respond in a calming voice.

"A phone call," Charlie bellowed with incredulity. "A phone call can be faked. They could have relayed that call somehow."

Wayne's exasperation clearly elevated to annoyance and he made no attempt to conceal this from Charlie in his response.

"Listen, Charlie, I know you want to feel like you're still involved. But you're not. City, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies across five states is working this manhunt and the Seattle P.D. is at the top of this food chain. They know what they're doing. They deal with violent criminals daily. You need to relax and trust that our combined efforts will bring these two in."

Wayne hung up the phone before Charlie could respond to his rant. In turn, Charlie slammed his phone into the receiver, jumped up on his feet and began yelling at the walls.

"Damn that stupid, arrogant, snob!"

Several seconds later there was a soft knocking on the door. When the knocking stopped, the door opened just wide enough for Renee to step through the opening.

"You okay in here?" Renee softly inquired from two steps into the room.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Charlie offhandedly dismissed.

"Anything I can help you with?" Renee inquired with a hint of a smile.

"No, I'm just making some calls," Charlie answered dismissively.

"Okay, I'm just downstairs if you need me," Renee advised as she backed out of the doorway and shut it behind her.

Charlie spent the next four hours trying to get Sheriff Allan Harrison on the phone. Over the course of this time he made half-a-dozen calls and each one was rebuffed with the claim that he was in a meeting and too busy to be disturbed. He was promised that Sheriff Harrison would be advised of his call and would likely return it the moment he was free. Every time Charlie was given this promise his patience ran out before this call came in. Shortly into the fifth hour Charlie dialed out for a seventh time and Sheriff Allan Harrison took the call.

"Hi, Charlie," Allan announced blandly. "What can I do for you?"

"You need to continue the search," Charlie angrily insisted.

"Chief Hilborn told me that you might be calling about this," Allan responded with amused politeness. "They're not in the park, Charlie."

"You can't be sure of that, Allan," Charlie argued back. "You need to keep the search going until these guys are caught."

"Have you any idea how much a search through the park would cost?" Allan raised his voice for the first time. "The manpower, the man hours of work it would cost to comb through that park. That's over fourteen hundred miles of wilderness, Charlie. I'm not going to generate a tab that large, _when we know they're not in there_."

Allan roared the last part of his statement into the phone.

"Okay," Charlie started in a mildly acquiescing tone. "Just get some men and dogs in the northwestern sector of the park and see if you can pick up a trail."

"Hell, Charlie," Allan complained into the phone. "You're just not getting the message. _They're not in the park!_ "

"You can't make that assumption," Charlie roared into the phone.

"Stop telling me how to do my job," Allan roared back.

" _Then do your damn job!_ "

Click.


	19. Unhappy Meeting

It was a crisp cool Thursday morning in the Olympic National Park. The frost from a cold night still lay plainly visible upon the ground in the pre sunrise morning. A thickly overcast sky was clearly illuminated by the fireball that was minutes away from rising over the eastern horizon. The brightening sky was beginning to produce long shadows across the landscape. For Robert Michelson and Darren Kaplan this day was made for fly fishing.

Robert and Darren were regular partners in these fishing ventures. This pastime of theirs extended back fifteen years. Darren Kaplan was born and raised in Washington State and routinely went fly fishing with his father as a child. It was he who got Robert hooked on fishing as a regular activity.

Robert was no stranger to fishing, but his history with the sport was less of a religious experience than Darren's was. Robert grew up in San Francisco, California and went fishing on a few occasions with his father and a couple of times with friends. Each time he enjoyed the experience, but he had little time then to make a habit of it. His friendship with Darren provided for him the resource, knowhow and the companion he needed to make fly fishing a regular activity. Together, they made pilgrimages into the Olympic National Park at least twice a year. The quiet of the surroundings, the distant murmurings of the wildlife and the sound of the water rushing down the river all contributed to the serenity they felt when they were there.

Robert and Darren had only just begun fishing. Their pre-dawn drive into the Olympic National Park, from the Motor Hotel they were staying at, lasted just short of an hour. They climbed into their gear and waded into the river almost immediately. They had been there for little more than thirty minutes when Darren noted a pair of men watching him from the riverbank behind him. It was only by accident that he saw them. A casual look to his rear brought them to his attention. They were standing just outside of the tree line along the bank of the river. Had the shadows been casting in the opposite direction he suspected he would not have seen them at all.

Darren's immediate impression was that they were hikers. Their clothing and gear seemed to confirm this. There was also no fishing gear that he could see to suggest they were not. He had run across hikers, campers and other fishermen in the park before. There was nothing about these two men to give him reason to be alarmed, at first glance. As they exchanged looks for a brief time, Darren began to think it peculiar the way they were standing there making a study of him. He decided to give them a wave simply to break the uncomfortable stare. At first, they did not respond. He could see at that moment that they were talking between themselves as they observed him. A few seconds later the smaller of the two men waved back to him. Shortly into this wave he transitioned his arm motion into a come to me movement. Darren was immediately perturbed by this. He knew he was going to oblige this despite the fact that he did not want to be bothered.

After reeling in his line, Darren started wading back towards the shore. Robert took note of this from fifty yards down river and gave him a questioning look. Darren, in turn, signaled for him not to follow with a stay there motion as he continued to move towards the bank of the river.

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

Don and Biggs broke camp two hours before dawn. The campfire they had made died out an hour earlier and the cold of the night quickly drove them out of their sleeping bags and back into motion. Neither of them wanted to waste time, fumbling around in the dark, gathering wood for another fire. Groggy, hungry and thirsty, they elected to push on.

Food had quickly become a concern for the two of them. They finished off most of the food Andrea packed for them halfway through the day before. Andrea packed to suit an appetite little bigger than her own, this came nowhere close to meeting the appetite demands of Don, let alone Biggs. This underestimation was by no means of her doing alone. Don had counted on a light supply of food to sustain him and Biggs during their trek across the park and instructed her to pack with this in mind. Don had no desire to be lugging a heavy load across the wilderness. His plan was to travel light and fast.

Don was a novice hiker and camper at best. The last time he went camping was with his uncle, seventeen years ago and he did little of the work during that excursion. By nightfall, the day before, his confidence in his ability to hike across this wilderness had been shaken, severely. Undeterred, nonetheless, he pushed forward in the direction he calculated to be the right one.

Two hours later the sky had lightened enough to cast shadows across the landscape. Biggs was grateful for the illumination. He did not care for moving about in the dark and was increasingly skeptical of Don's ability to successfully navigate across the park, by night or by day. Don also had his concerns about traversing this terrain in the dark. However, unlike Biggs, Don was forever wary of being seen by someone as they traveled across the park and of late, he was growing worried about being heard as well.

"We can't just keep walking," Biggs grumbled. "We need food."

"Stuff your mouth with those crackers and shut up," Don argued back in a hushed voice.

"I don't want any damn crackers," Biggs complained back, angrily.

"Then shut up and keep walking, because there's nothing else to eat," Don fumed back at him. "You ate it all yesterday."

"Do you really think we're going to get across this park without food?" Biggs criticized with an incredulous expression.

"I don't think we're going to find anything to eat by standing around and talking about it." Don argued back at him.

Don walked on with a hurried stride, primarily to put distance between him and Biggs' nagging complaints. Following several steps behind, Biggs reluctantly matched his pace. They walked on in silence for another twenty minutes. The sound of water guided them through the forest for the last forty seconds. They stepped out of the forest and onto the bank of a river that was nearly one-hundred yards wide. Neither Don nor Biggs were dehydrated at this time, but a drink of water was a welcome idea. Also, refilling their canteens was business that Don knew needed to be attended to. Despite this need, the two of them froze in their stance ten yards from the river's edge.

Standing in the river, ten yards out and thirty yards down, was a man with a fishing pole. Don and Biggs both were taken by surprise by the sight of him. Within the instant that they saw him, and a dozen more after that, they were not sure how to react. The man had his back to them and was not aware that they were there. They instinctively knew that he probably would not see them if they backed away quickly. Both Don and Biggs were subconsciously conflicted with the idea that this man was both a problem and a possible solution. A short time into their musings Biggs came to favor, solution, and Don came to favor, problem.

"We need to go back," Don declared after a time.

"He could have supplies that we need," Biggs insisted in a hushed voice.

Don knew that he was right and was having a hard time disputing it in his thoughts.

"If he goes missing for more than a day someone will come looking for him," Don tossed out more so for discussion than dispute.

"Maybe, maybe not," Biggs argued back. "That's a risk we have to take."

As Biggs spoke Don noticed that the fisherman was looking at them. He stared back as did Biggs.

"He's seen us now," Biggs stated definitively.

Don stared back at him as he contemplated this situation.

After a moment of thought Don announced. "Maybe he can't see us clearly from there. We are in shadows."

"Why risk it," Biggs challenged as the man in the river began to wave at them.

Don thought about it for a moment longer as he returned the fisherman's stare.

"Okay, but we don't kill him," Don acquiesced after a brief pause. "A body would be worse than missing."

"What do we do with him?" Biggs questioned back in a shocked tone.

"We keep him alive," Don answered back with an angry stare. "We keep him as a hostage until we don't need him anymore."

"What the hell for?" Biggs argued.

"Listen up meat head," Don grumbled back at him. "If the cops find a body, they'll be combing this park looking for the killer. A hostage we can use."

Biggs acquiesced with a shake of his head and an "okay."

A second later Don returned the fisherman's wave. After a few greeting gestures with his hand, he transitioned his motion into a summons for the fisherman to come out of the water. The fisherman shortly began to comply, if not promptly so. He and Biggs passively watched his approach until the fisherman turned and waved to someone further down the river. They both began to search the distance for this other person. A slight bend in the river and the forest that extended out to its bank obscured this person from their view.

"There's another one," Biggs announced under his breath. "What do you want me to do?"

"Relax," Don whispered with a look out the corner of his eyes.

Shortly the fisherman stepped onto dry land. As he walked towards them, Don displayed a pleasant countenance for him. Biggs began to frown into a grumpy expression. The fisherman was unaffected by either and briskly approached them both. Twenty seconds later he came to a stop five feet in front of Don.

"Hello gentlemen, what can I do for you this morning?" Darren greeted with an upbeat inflection.

Even as he spoke these words, Darren had a feeling of dread. The tattoo on the part of Don's neck that extended out from the top of his jacket came into Darren's notice halfway through his greeting. He was not unfamiliar with prison tattoos. Biggs' unpleasant demeanor supported this feeling of alarm. It was at this time that Darren gave some concern to the fact that the man who waved at him had put his right hand into his jacket pocket shortly before he stopped.

The change in Darren's demeanor did not go unnoticed by Don, not that he gave any care to this. He produced his revolver from out of his jacket pocket and directed it at Darren a second after he spoke his greeting.

"Okay, you need to be real still," Don quietly instructed.

"Hey," Darren began to complain as he subconsciously raised his hands up above his waist. "You don't know what you're doing."

"Put your hands down," Don sharply instructed.

Don's command interrupted Darren in the middle of his complaint. The fierce look on Don's face made Darren hesitant to speak at all without permission. Darren obediently lowered his hands, slowly.

"That's better," Don announced with a contemptuous stare. "How many people did you come here with?"

"It's just two of us," Darren answered back with a hint of defiance.

"You better-be telling me the truth," Don responded with a glare. "Because whatever number you give me right now that's the number I'm going to work with. If I find more, I'm going to dispose of however many I need to, to get down to that number." Don paused and stepped in closer for effect. "You want to stick with that number."

"There's just the two us," Darren grumbled back.

"Good," Don responded with a smile.

Biggs, in turn, moved to a position a little more than an inch away from the right rear of Darren. Biggs massive stature towered over Darren's five-ten form.

"What's your name?" Don questioned in a sinister tone of voice. "

Darren returned Don's stare with a look of contempt before responding, "Judge Darren Kaplan of the King County Superior Court."

Don was taken aback by this report. Biggs too was worried by it and gave Don a sudden look of concern. As the two of them paused to process this report, Darren gave an addendum to his report.

"And my friend in the river is Superior Court Judge Robert Michelson, also of King County."

"Damn!" Don exclaimed as he took a step backwards.

"What are we going to do?" Biggs questioned Don in an excited tone of voice as he held his position to the right rear of Darren.

Don ignored the question as he lowered his eyes and pondered to himself.

"What you're going to do is turn yourselves in before you dig a hole so deep that there won't be a lifeline long enough to pull you out of it," Darren sternly instructed.

Don immediately took offense to Darren's words. He stiffened his stance and pushed his shoulders back as he glared back at Darren.

"Like hell we will!" Don growled back.

"They're judges!" Biggs exclaimed in a near frantic tone of voice.

"I don't care who they are," Don yelled back.

Biggs and Don took a moment to stare at each other and gauge the other's fortitude. Don and Biggs both knew that they could not let either of these men, judges or not, live to be witnesses against them.

"We're not going back," Don insisted to Biggs in a desperate tone. "We're out and we're going to stay out," Don continued in a more insistent tone.

"If these guys turn up missing for just one day, they're going to have helicopters buzzing all over this park," Biggs responded with exaggerated emphasis.

"Didn't you hear him, lug-head," Don argued back. "They're King County Judges. Nobody drives all the way from Seattle to here for a one-day fishing trip."

Don darted his attention back and forth between Biggs and Darren as he articulated his supposition.

"My guess is they made plans to fish here clear through the weekend," Don finished with a sinister glare into Darren's face.

"You would be wrong about that," Darren offered back softly.

"Is that right?" Don countered with a look of defiance as he leveled the aim his gun at Darren's head.

Darren was momentarily taken aback by Don's redirection of his weapon. After a brief hesitation, and a deep breath, he responded with a short and soft statement.

"That's right."

Don took a moment to study Darren's face before speaking again.

"You're not going anywhere," Don reiterated with renewed confidence. "You're just a couple of fat Judges out on a fishing trip."

"They could have their wives with them," Biggs spoke up in a worried tone.

"I don't think so," Don pondered back. "If their wives were with them, then they'd also be here."

"They could be waiting at a hotel," Biggs argued back in an unconvinced tone of voice.

"Think about it," Don rifled back as he brandished his gun towards Darren. "Why would their wives stay cooped up in a hotel? And where are they going to go? ...Port Angeles? ...Forks? Why not just stay in Seattle?"

Biggs' stare bounced about the space between himself and Don as he processed every word that was being said to him.

"No," Don continued in a satisfied tone. "I'm betting these two came out from Seattle, alone."

After a moment of thought Biggs responded with a speculative inflection, "someone could still report them missing."

"We have to do this, Biggs," Don asserted with a stare towards his confederate. "It's either this or turn ourselves in."

Biggs took a moment to mull this over before responding with a word.

"Okay."

What transpired within those few seconds made Darren aware of the extent of the danger that he and Robert were in.

"Okay Judge, let's go," Don ordered with a nod of his head toward the riverbank.

"I'm not doing this," Darren insisted with a defiant stance.

Don took a step closer with his revolver still leveled towards Darren's mid-section.

"Listen here," Don spoke menacingly at near to a whisper. "If I have to go down there, I'll kill him right where he stands."

Don and Darren exchanged stern looks for several seconds. At the end of this time, Darren grudgingly assented to Don's command and set off for the bank, along the bend in the river, with his abductors close behind. They arrived nearly two minutes later. Robert was clearly visible from there, serenely casting his line across the top of the water several times before allowing the lure to settle into the river. Robert shortly caught sight of them out of the corner of his eyes and turned towards them in response to their study of him. Darren reluctantly took advantage of this opportunity and waved for him to come in. Robert quickly complied with this request, hesitating only as long as it took to give Darren, and the two men with him, a curious look.

"Hey, what's up?" Robert queried as he closed within ten feet of the trio.

Darren said nothing as Robert continued to approach. When Robert finally stopped in front of Darren, Don produced his revolver from out of his jacket pocket and directed it at Robert. Biggs produced his weapon as well and directed it at Darren. Robert went into instant shock at the sight of the two gunmen. He waited on an explanation for several seconds as he looked back and forth between the two gunmen. At the end of this time he spun his attention onto Darren and rifled out a question.

"What's going on?"

"I think these gentlemen are the missing convicts out of Clallam Bay Correctional," Darren responded solemnly.

"Don't do anything heroic and you might live through this," Don instructed a second later.

Robert and Darren gave each other dubious looks as they inhaled deeply.

"We're Superior Court Judges," Robert quickly instructed Don.

"Yeah, we're past that," Don countered sarcastically. "Get your stuff."

Don directed Robert and Darren towards the gear they had pooled together ten yards in from the river where Robert was fishing. As soon as they had everything gathered in hand Don steered them down river.

"Our car is that way," Darren quickly advised with a point to the north.

"That way," Don insisted again with a point to the south.

**~~~~~** _line break_ **~~~~~**

"Where are you going?" Renee groggily mumbled.

The next day sun had yet to make an impression upon the Thursday morning sky when Renee was aroused from her slumber. The sound of movement at the foot of her bed lured her attention in that direction. It took her all of one minute to make out that the figure sitting in the dark, across from the foot of her bed, was Charlie.

"I thought I'd get some fishing in today," Charlie softly replied as he continued to tie his boot laces. "Go back to sleep."

Renee took a moment to focus her mind and ponder this report. A few seconds later she propped herself up onto her elbows and began to study Charlie. Several seconds after that she climbed out of bed and quickly robed herself, as she stood by the foot of the bed staring down at Charlie.

"No, you're not," Renee contradicted with a surprised inflection. "You're going to look for those criminals."

Charlie paused from lacing his second boot and released a sigh of regret. He then returned his attention to his work in hand.

"I know you, Charlie," Renee continued to challenge. "You can't sit and do nothing when your sense of duty kicks in."

"I'm just going to look around for a little while," Charlie began to explain as he continued tying his boot. "If I find some evidence that they're in the park, I'll report it to the Sheriff's Department."

"You actually believe that don't you?" Renee responded with a look of amazement on her face. "Come on, Charlie, there's no way that you're going to leave those men in the park, if you find them."

Charlie considered Renee's words for a moment. He knew she was right. He also knew it did not matter. He shook his head as if he was discarding an unwelcome thought and then finished tying his boot. Three seconds later he pushed himself up on his feet.

"I know something that they don't know," Charlie exclaimed in bewilderment. "I can't just not-do anything with this information."

"You're not a police officer anymore," Renee pleaded. "They'll find them, Charlie. Just give them a chance."

"If somebody gets hurt because I didn't do something when I had a chance, I'm going to have a hard time living with that," Charlie responded solemnly.

"If you get killed, I'm going to have a hard time living with that," Renee spoke back with equal gravity.

Charlie paused for a moment to give Renee a look of regret for what he was about to say.

"I have to do this."

Renee had no response for that, and she knew there was not one thing that would change Charlie's mind. Instead, she quietly followed behind him as he went through the house and into the garage to gather his gear. She watched, without speaking, as Charlie produced a holstered sidearm from the top shelf of a large storage cabinet and attached it to the belt about his pants. He removed a jacket hanging beneath the shelf and quickly attired himself with it. He then procured a backpack from off the floor of the cabinet and slung it over one shoulder. Once the backpack was secured, he collected a double barreled; over and under, shotgun from the same location and then closed the doors to the cabinet.

With a look of worry on her face, Renee continued to look on as Charlie walked over to one of the bay doors to the garage. She followed behind with an almost pleading expression on her face. Charlie paused to give her a look of confidence and then pressed the button to open the door. The garage door shortly rolled up and revealed the pre sunrise out-of-doors.

"You ready, Charlie?" Jacob called out, as he leaned against the side of his 72 Dodge Challenger that was parked just outside of the garage.

Charlie ignored the question and turned back around to give Renee one final look. She, in turn, stepped into his gaze, threw her arms about his neck and smothered him with a passionate kiss. A few seconds later Renee backed away and stared upon his face. Charlie returned her gaze for a handful of seconds before turning away and setting off for the front passenger door of Jacob's car. As soon as they were both situated inside the car, Jacob called back to Renee through his open window.

"Don't worry, Renee, I'll bring him back."

Jacob then brought the engine of his Challenger to a rumble and drove off into the dark of early Thursday morning.


	20. All in a Night's Work

Jacob took Charlie to the location where he last perceived the scent of the two convicts. This was over an hour's walk from the closest road in the Olympic National Park. The sun was two hours above the eastern horizon when they arrived. Jacob could no longer detect any trace of the two convicts there and he was not surprised by this. Jacob anticipated that the rains in the park would have washed away their scent by then. After a brief survey of the surrounding terrain, he disrobed, phased into his wolf form and set out to find a fresh trail. Charlie collected Jacob's clothes and made camp where he stood. He had been warned by Jacob that it could take most of the day for him to find their scent again.

"Why so long?" Charlie quickly challenged at the time.

"It's not like running around at night. There's going to be people moving about out there and I'm going to have to work around them. I'm not going to be able to cover ground as quickly as I would at night and some areas, I won't be able to get to at all as long as the sun is up."

Charlie accepted this explanation from Jacob without protest. He did so despite the fact that he was annoyed with him for not agreeing to go out yesterday evening. It was his hope that Jacob would have been able to reacquire the trail of the convicts during the night just past. Jacob confirmed that the task was doable, but he requested a partial night's sleep before heading out. Charlie reluctantly agreed to a Thursday morning departure time.

Charlie waited impatiently for all of eight hours for Jacob to come back from his scouting trip. Halfway past three o'clock in the afternoon Jacob returned with news.

"I found them," Jacob eagerly reported as he buckled his pants. "They're south of here and they've got company."

"Company...?" Charlie queried back in an astonished tone.

"It looks like they picked up a couple of guys who were fishing," Jacob clarified. "They're holding them at gunpoint."

Charlie pondered this information for a moment as Jacob looked on.

"You want to call this into the Sheriff's Office?" Jacob queried after a brief pause.

"Have they camped?" Charlie quickly questioned back.

"Not yet," Jacob responded. "But they will have to soon. They're moving along a southeasterly line and at the speed that they're moving; they'll probably make camp within a mile of where I last saw them."

Charlie began to ponder this.

"I can point it out on a map," Jacob added confidently.

Charlie shook his head in confusion as he continued to analyze this information.

"What's wrong?" Jacob queried curiously.

"They won't believe me," Charlie reported back.

"Yeah, but they still have to check it out, don't they?" Jacob questioned back.

"Yeah, maybe," Charlie mumbled back. "But Harrison won't take it seriously. He'll probably just send a unit, or some forest ranger, to check it out and get somebody killed."

"So, you want to walk it?" Jacob queried with a smile.

"How far away are they?" Charlie asked directly.

"For you, it's about a two-day hike from here," Jacob responded off the cuff. "But if we circle around the park with the car, we can cut the hike down to about three hours. Calculating in the drive time, plus the walk back to the car, I think we can be there in about eight hours."

"Okay," Charlie responded after a short moment of thought. "Let's do it."

"You sure you want to do this?" Jacob tentatively questioned.

"Yeah," Charlie forcefully insisted as he began to gather his gear.

"Okay," Jacob reacted defensively. "...Just checking."

Within a matter of minutes, Charlie and Jacob were on their way back to the car.

**_~~~~~_ ** _line break **~~~~~**_

It had been a long slow trek for Don and Biggs during the daylight hours of Thursday. Early on in their hike, the fishing gear of the Judges was tossed into a narrow ravine in the forest to help speed this endeavor. Despite this loss, their pace slowed by one-third compared to the day before, not that either of them paid any notice to this. They had no idea of their rate of travel or the difference between this day and the day before. Their only concern was to keep moving and so they did, at their best speed. Keeping guard over their two hostages was the culprit behind their slower pace.

Darren and Robert were both in their early sixties, but they were surprisingly fit for their ages. Both men being slim and healthy managed the rough terrain better than Biggs. It was the constant care that their captors were taking to keep them in their sights as they traversed small canyons, rivers and streams that delayed their progress the most. The four travelers made brief stops to rest on five separate occasions. Their sixth stop came less than an hour before sunset. Don ordered that they make camp at that time, in the forest not far from a stream.

Don and Biggs were dismissive of their hostages, for the most part. They were not inclined to be physically abusive. An odd push now and then was the worst of the physical mistreatment doled out by them over the course of the day. They consumed the lunches that the Judges packed for themselves without thought to giving them any portion of it, and they gave them only as much water as necessary to keep them moving. Darren and Robert accepted this treatment without complaint. They were far more concerned about how they would fare when their captors reached their destination.

The Judges were quickly put to work gathering wood. By the time that the last visage of the sun had dipped beneath the horizon a sizeable campfire was ablaze. While the sky was still illuminated with the light from the passing day, Don ordered Biggs to restrain the hands and feet of the two Judges with the three-eighth inch rope he had Andrea pack in his bag. A minute later Darren was sitting on the ground as Robert laid prostrate five feet away. Biggs was using his weight to hold him down as he bound his hands. Don took a standing position in front of Darren with his gun trained on him.

"What are you going to do with us?" Darren questioned as he watched Biggs tie Robert's hands behind his back.

"Hey! You're alive, aren't you?" Don questioned back brusquely.

"For how long...?" Darren yelled back.

"Just shut up and do as you're told, and you'll live to see another day," Don hollered his response.

Biggs paid no attention to this conversation as he switched to binding Robert's feet.

"Don't you think we see where this is going?" Darren argued back.

"Anytime you want to get off this ride, you just let me know," Don challenged menacingly as he moved a step closer and aimed his weapon directly at Darren's head.

Darren had no response for this, or at least none that he cared to verbalize at that time. He sat and stared down the barrel of Don's gun as he fumed.

"Get down," Biggs ordered a handful of seconds later as he pushed Darren down on his stomach with the bottom side of his boot.

Biggs lowered his knees atop Darren's backside and began binding his hands.

"If you kill either one of us, let alone both of us," Robert began to complain. "You both will automatically be facing the death penalty. And there's not a Judge anywhere who will hesitate in handing it out."

"Well then, I guess will just have to make sure they don't find the bodies," Don angrily argued back.

"He's going to get you killed," Darren grumbled to Biggs as he lifted his head and shoulders off the ground.

"Shut up!" Biggs commanded as he shoved him back down to the ground.

Biggs shortly finished binding Darren's hands and immediately started on his feet.

"You're not going to get away with this," Robert asserted.

"Yeah well, maybe not," Don retorted sarcastically. "But it won't be because we didn't try."

Neither Robert nor Darren had an immediate response to this and were given no time to fashion one. Biggs completed binding Darren a second later and backed away from him. Both he and Don took seats on the opposite side of the fire.

"We're going to have to take turns watching them," Don instructed Biggs.

"How are we supposed to get any rest if we have to watch these guys day and night?" Biggs complained boisterously.

"We'll sleep in two hour shifts," Don roared back angrily.

"This is a great fucking plan you've got here, Don," Biggs grumbled back without backing down. "We're going to be fucking exhausted in the morning. We're dragging around a couple Judges in the middle of god knows where. We're out of food. We don't know where we are and when they catch us, they're going to add time to our sentences for escaping and kidnapping, or worse."

"Nobody is getting caught, you dumb ape," Don hollered back as he leaned into his words. "All we have to do is keep moving southeast to get out of this park and off this peninsula. Two days at the most and we're home free."

"And what about them...?" Biggs questioned snidely with a nudge of his head towards their prisoners. "What are we going to do about them?"

"In case you've forgotten," Don hissed back. "You were looking at another ten years before the state would even consider giving you a parole."

Don glared at Biggs as he paused to give his words effect.

"Tell me, Biggs, you got another ten years of prison in you?" Don continued with equal venom.

Don waited shortly for an answer. Biggs did nothing but fume back at him.

"I've got twenty," Don continued again at a grumble. "This is all or nothing. So, stop your fucking grumbling. We're not on a cruise here. Nobody is going to fluff your pillow. You got something else to say?"

Don waited again to see if Biggs had a response. Biggs did nothing but glare at him for a moment, out the corner of his eyes, before looking away in disgust.

"Good!" Don bellowed angrily. "You take the first watch."

"Why me...?" Biggs quickly questioned in a startled tone.

Don gave him an angry stare. After a couple of seconds of this, Biggs backed down from his lament and began to settle in for his two-hour guard duty.

"Don't let the fire go out," Don commanded as he climbed into his sleeping bag.

Fifteen minutes later Don was asleep with his weapon partially tucked beneath the top end of his bag.

Darren and Robert were not so easily induced into slumber. The cold of the night and the discomfort of their restraints gave them ample incentive to lay awake. The Judges began to quietly wrestle with their restraints almost immediately as they pretended to sleep. Five hours later, they had nothing to show for their efforts. Before the beginning of the sixth hour they both became victims of their own exhaustion and went to sleep as well.

**_~~~~~_ ** _line break **~~~~~**_

It did not take long for the Olympic and Volturi Vampire Covens to reach Patagonia. They left for this distant land minutes after accepting the task of eliminating the coven that was operating there without restraints. Their transatlantic flight landed in Buenos Aires Wednesday evening. By sunrise Thursday morning the two covens were strolling through the wilderness of the Patagonian Region. They gave no thought to the daylight because of the absence of humans nearby to see them. The Olympic and Volturi Covens came to a stop atop a foothill at the base of the Andes mountain range. The sky was bright blue, and the wind whipped about them in an endless parade of torrents. The sun blazed overhead with little effect on the temperature because of the winter chill in the air. Below them, to the east, it looked as if they could see clear across Argentina. All there, except Alice and Edward, were studying the vista for its aesthetics. No one but she expected to see anything from there that might lead them to this Vampire hive.

It was the expectation of the two covens that Alice's gift would steer them in the right direction. This was an ability that she had employed a hundred times before for this purpose. When she reported that she had not so much as a hint of a vision regarding these rogue vampires, they were all nearly as surprised as she.

"I don't understand this," Alice confessed in a bewildered tone. "If they exist anywhere, I should perceive at least a vague impression of something."

"Don't worry about it," Carlisle insisted. "It will come to you in time. It always does."

"No, Carlisle," Alice countered in a near panicked tone. "You don't understand. I always feel something. When an event is distant in time or space, it's always vague, but it's still there. This is beyond vague. Even when I muse about the shapeshifters, I can sense the blind spot that they're creating. This is nonexistent. If they're somewhere here in this region I should be able to divine at least a hint of a vision of them."

Carlisle did not know what to make of this report. The rest of the Cullens, minus Edward, were equally baffled by it. Edward kept his attention fixed on Alice as he tried to comprehend what he was not seeing in her mind.

"Maybe they're gone, or disbanded," Emmett suggested to the group.

"No, they're here," Alec quickly contradicted. "We went through something similar when we were here last. They were there, but at the same time they were not there. It was like we were chasing vampire ghosts."

"I thought Demetri was able to track them," Jasper questioned Alec sternly.

"He could when they were visible," Alec responded back. "When they went invisible, he couldn't sense them at all."

"Then there has to be some fundamental difference between Demetri's ability and Alice's," Rosalie boldly surmised.

"Demetri sensed the physical presence of the person he was tracking. Alice perceives illusions of the future," Carlisle pondered out loud. "So maybe these hive vampires have the ability to conceal themselves from perception, but they're not ghosts. So physically they're still there."

"So how do we find them if they don't want to be found?" Jane spouted out curtly.

Everyone went silent as they pondered this question. A short time later Carlisle puzzled out a thought.

"How do you find a black hole?"

All there, minus Edward, looked at Carlisle with confused expressions.

"You find something behind it, that's being distorted by its presence," Edward answered knowingly.

Everyone continued to look to Carlisle, and now Edward, with confused expressions on their faces.

"If I'm not thinking about this vampire hive, then what do I think about," Alice queried Carlisle for an answer.

Carlisle considered the question for a moment before giving his answer.

"Think about the territory, all of it," Carlisle spoke back with enthusiasm. "Just concentrate on the whole region and try and find a place, a location that seems like it's there, but not there."

"What does that mean?" Alice questioned in a startled tone of voice.

"Just look for something that doesn't feel right, something out of focus that shouldn't be," Carlisle babbled out indecisively.

Alice had never done anything like this before. She never had the inclination to muse about anything other than another being. Before starting she had no idea if it would work. After thirty minutes of musing she had no idea if she was accomplishing anything and advised Carlisle of same. Despite this discouraging report, Carlisle urged her to continue focusing her thoughts on the region and not on any person within it.

Shortly before the sun was about to begin its descent behind the Andes, Alice began to take notice of a faint incongruity in one of her visions of the future. It was a curious effect that she was sure would have gone unnoticed under normal circumstances. Had she not been scanning through the dozens of visions closely associated with it, she would not have thought there was anything unusual about it. In this vision within her mind's eye there was a place that seemed a little more distant and vaguer than any place around it within that time frame. This disparity drew her attention to it. Alice was not convinced this was something to be concerned with. She pondered over it for a few seconds and then made a mental note to check on it later, assuming she did not find something more substantial to investigate.

"What is it?" Carlisle softly questioned Edward.

"I don't know," Edward hesitantly answered back as he focused on Alice. "It's probably nothing. Alice is going to come back to it later to be sure."

"But what is she seeing?" Rosalie quickly insisted on more details.

"She's not seeing anything," Edward responded without losing his focus. "These visions that she's inducing are too insignificant to be anything more than faint, abstract, incomprehensible collages of possible futures. It's just that one of these collages seems slightly off."

"Slightly off how...?" Carlisle queried with curiosity in his voice.

"It's just an impression," Edward answered with a shrug. "It's probably nothing. Alice thinks she would be wasting her time focusing her thoughts there, and I agree."

Carlisle and Rosalie accepted this answer with looks of frustration and then settled back for an extended wait.

The Olympic and Volturi Covens meandered about Alice for another five hours as she explored the depths of her perceptions. Every now and again, ten minutes apart on average, Alice would tilt her head as if she were trying to hear something. After a dozen seconds, on average, she would return to her blank stare, with all indications that whatever alerted her had been dismissed.

Edward followed Alice's musing, often from afar. He strolled about the rocky hilltop and gazed about the barren expanse below him as his mind sifted through the endless stream of abstract imagery racing past Alice's mind's eye. Time and again he turned to give her a study as she focused her thoughts on something that momentarily intrigued her. Each time that he did this, the collective number of both covens tensed in response.

The night was transitioning into its latter hours when the number of non-sleeping humans started to become scarce. The winds had died down to a near steady breeze and the sky was a near perfect window upon the cosmos. Alice suddenly stood up from the rock she had been seated upon and stared out with wide open eyes at the empty space in front of her. Edward reacted just as quickly, but far less visibly. His stare widened as well and slowly turned upwards into the empty space above the plateau in front of him.

"What is it?" Carlisle questioned Alice as he rushed to her side.

"I was wrong," Alice whispered as she slowly shook her head with surprise. "There's something very wrong out there."

"Where, Alice?" Carlisle questioned again.

Alice continued to look out into the black of the landscape below as she shook her head from left to right and back again several times before nodding out towards the southeast.

"What do you see Alice?" Jasper queried with a high degree of interest.

"That's just it," Alice responded with a confused expression. "I'm not seeing what I should be seeing."

"She's right," Edward quickly supported. "Everything else is coming into focus, but that area, that place in time never changes."

The Olympic and Volturi covens looked to each other as they considered this information.

"We should go there," Jane spoke up definitively.

Carlisle looked to Alice for any dissention in this suggested course of action. She in turn shook her head left and right several times with a puzzled expression on her face.

"It's all a blur," Alice exclaimed. "No matter how close I get, it stays the same."

Carlisle looked to his family, one after the other, as he considered the risk of this decision.

"This is why we're here," Alec prodded.

Carlisle turned to look at the Volturi Coven before responding.

"Okay, let's do it."

The Olympic and Volturi Covens streaked down the foothills and across the vast plateau east of the Andes for nearly two hours. Alice led the group, followed closely by Jasper. At the end of this time Alice slowed to a walk for seemingly no reason.

"What is it?" Jasper questioned in response to Alice's puzzled expression.

Alice waved off the question with a flag of her hand. She continued to move forward while scanning ahead with intense interest. Every fifteen seconds, on average, she would offset her gaze, by then degrees, either to the left or to the right.

"What is she looking for?" Emmett quietly questioned Edward.

"She's not looking for anything," Edward softly answered back. "We're there."

The Olympic and Volturi Covens were moving in an irregular, bunched up line, across terrain that was nearly level. The only illumination was the thousands of pin pricks of stars that dotted the cloudless sky. The only sound to be heard was the breeze softly blowing through the waist high shrubbery that was scattered across the landscape.

After another fifteen minutes of walking, Alice's back and forth scan of the terrain ahead had expanded out to an angle of forty-five degrees to the left and to the right. It took only five minutes for the angles to increase to ninety degrees in both directions. A minute later Alice came to a stop. She stood there, unmoving, for another thirty seconds, staring ahead into seemingly empty terrain. Carlisle turned to Edward, who was then slowly looking about them for a full three-hundred and sixty degrees.

"What is it, Edward?" Carlisle questioned grimly. "What's out there?"

"Nothing," Edward whispered back as he continued to search about him, "at least nothing that I can read."

The Olympic and Volturi Covens instinctively formed a circle with their attentions focused outwards. All sounds were being analyzed by their vampire hearing. All objects were being scrutinized by their vampire visual acuity. Despite these faculties they heard or saw nothing that could be considered a threat to them. After another thirty seconds of searching, Alice broke the silence with words whispered out for all to hear.

"Carlisle, I think we found that black hole you were speaking of."

The unease they felt with the night took on a new intensity as the covens strained their eyes to peer across the vast expanse of the plateau. Nearly all among them were unnerved by the absence of anything to see or hear. After three minutes of studying their surroundings, Bella became intrigued by a barely perceptible sound behind her that was reminiscent of clothing flapping in the wind. She was at first reluctant to divert her attention from the direction that she was facing. She was sure that if there was anything there worth her notice Rosalie or Emmett would have seen it by then. After a handful of seconds more she decided that she could ignore it no longer. Bella turned about her to see a sight that momentarily froze her with shock.

"Carlisle look," Bella suddenly announced with a point.

All twelve of their number quickly turned their attentions into the direction of her point. Each of them began to dart their stares about the terrain to the east of them in a desperate effort to see whatever it was that Bella was seeing. After three seconds of searching, Carlisle turned to Bella with a concerned look. Edward and Esme followed his lead.

"What is it?" Carlisle questioned shortly.

"Don't you see them?" Bella abruptly responded with a shocked intonation.

Carlisle and Esme spun their attentions back around to the east.

"If they're here they're invisible," Alec quickly explained.

"But she can see them," Jane growled back as she continued to search with her eyes.

"Show us Bella," Edward softly implored into her ear.

An instant later, Bella pushed her shield out beyond her physical person until all within her group were enveloped within her extended person. Each of them registered within her new self as brightly tingling sensations of charged energy. Within an instant of this, all eyes within the two covens locked into focus on a location nearly two hundred yards east of their position.

"Is that them?" Carlisle quickly asked the Volturi in general.

"I believe so," Alec responded indecisively.

"Yeah, that's them," Efren reinforced in a definitive tone.

"I thought you said there were seven of them," Jasper spoke up sharply a second later.

"Obviously they've added a few to their number," Jane grumbled back.

All twelve members of the Olympic and Volturi Covens had counted twenty-six vampires standing in a line across from them.

"That's more than a few," Rosalie mumbled to one in particular.

The Olympic and Volturi Covens said nothing more for another twenty seconds as they exchanged stares with the line of vampires across from them. Esme broke the silence with a soft query for anyone with an answer.

"What are they doing?"

"They're wondering the same thing about us," Edward blandly answered back.

"You can read them?" Gerard questioned Edward with surprise in his voice.

"Bella's shield blocks their abilities," Jasper reported.

"Then you can do that mind thing on them," Gerard announced enthusiastically.

"They're too far away," Emmett corrected. "They have to be closer."

The Cullens had learned through experimentation that Edward had a limit to his projecting ability. They knew when his target was one-hundred yards away; the best he could affect was a sensation of intoxication and two-hundred yards this was barely noticeable.

"Are they willing to talk with us?" Carlisle looked to Edward with his query.

"As far as they are concerned, we can either join them or die," Edward answered somberly.

"They sound confident," Emmett scoffed.

"They are," Edward announced in a surly tone of voice.

"What do you see, Alice?" Carlisle questioned after stepping in front of her.

Alice had been standing quietly aside, examining the various possible near futures. Bella's shield was providing for her the clarity she needed to peer into the next few minutes, but there was something about what she was seeing that did not agree with her. A look of concern was fixed across her face. She began to shake her head back and forth as she prepared to respond to Carlisle's query.

"The shield won't hold," Alice reported with dread. "They're going to collapse Bella's shield. I'm sorry, Carlisle. I can't see clearly past that."

Carlisle continued to study Alice's face as she stared back into his eyes.

"Something is happening," Emmett suddenly announced.

Carlisle turned about to the east to see what was happening. He quickly noted that the line of Hive vampires was moving toward them and spreading wide at the same time. Their movement seemed to be too smooth for walking. It took him two seconds more to comprehend that they were floating over the ground. He turned to Edward for an explanation. Edward, in turn, read his thoughts and responded to the unspoken question.

"They recognize Jane and Alec. They know they're Volturi," Edward reported bluntly.

Edward paused to comprehend the thoughts of the flying vampires. Two seconds later he reported what he had read in their thoughts.

"They believe we're here to destroy them. They plan to destroy us first."

The Olympic and Volturi Covens steeled themselves for the fight to come. They stood in a line with their shoulder’s inches apart from the vampire next to them.

"We need to protect Bella," Alec called out to the group. "If we lose sight of them, we won't see their attack until they're on top of us."

"He's right, Bella," Carlisle instructed. "Stand back."

Edward pulled Bella out of the line with one hand and positioned her behind him. The line adjusted to close the space created by her absence.

"They're circling us," Jasper loudly reported.

The ends of the hive vampire's line were beginning to bend about the Olympic and Volturi Covens and the space between the hive vampires grew wider as it did. The Olympic and Volturi Covens began to bend their line around Bella at a pace matching this maneuver.

"Edward," Carlisle called out to him.

Edward had already begun his descent into the trancelike state he required to project his mind into others. Carlisle's thoughts instructing him to do so were heard, but not needed. All of the hive vampires had just finished moving into the fifty-yard range he required to effectively scramble their minds. It was his hope, as well as the hope of everyone with him that he might end this fight with a thought.

Within the time span of a pair of seconds, Edward had retreated into the void in the back of his mind, where the real world existed only as a swarm of minds loudly reverberating within his own. He deftly targeted the twenty-six hive vampires that were closing about him. A fraction of a second later he reached out and plunged his mind into the depths of their brains. To Edward's surprise something happened, almost immediately, that was beyond unexpected. It was incomprehensible. Within the time span of a second by perception, a millisecond in reality, the number of hive vampires seemed to double in number, and then that number doubled, and the next number doubled again and so on, until the number of minds he perceived was beyond his ability to fathom.

Edward suddenly came to understand that each doubling was a duplicate of the number before. Instinctively he grasped on to the idea that the collective minds of the hive were like a hall of mirrors. His comprehension of what was happening was near instantaneous. He understood that this was how they were able to share abilities. Their minds shared everything. He could feel his own mind fragmenting into this maze of minds a thousand times over. He could feel the irritation his intrusion into their hive brain was causing, but despite all his efforts, Edward could not lock his concentration onto any single brain, let alone any single group of brains. He had the sensation that his extended mind was evaporating into infinity. So perplexed was he by this ever-expanding universe of sentient minds within his own brain, that he gave no thought to the fact he had lost the ability to assimilate what was transpiring in the real world. The only thing that he knew for sure was that the hive vampires were still conscious and that they were aware that he was inside their heads.

"What's happening?" Alec called to anyone with an answer. "Is it working?"

The Cullens, minus Edward and Alice, scanned about them with puzzled expressions. They had no immediate answer for this. The Vampire Hive, by then, had completely encircled them as they flew five feet above the ground. They showed some sign that they were being annoyed by something that was happening inside their heads. Many of them had one or both of their hands up to their temples as they flung their heads back and forth, seemingly to rid themselves of something that would not go away. Shortly Alice responded to Alec's question without altering her attention from her own meditation.

"No, it's not working."

Carlisle turned to query Alice about what was happening when a rock, as large as a man's fist, flew in from out of the surrounding terrain at a high rate of speed, slammed into his shoulder and knocked him to the ground.

"Look out!" Gerard shouted as a dozen more rocks flew in from all directions, in rapid succession.

The Olympic and Volturi Coven members, minus one, instantly took note of the incoming projectiles and began dodging them with apparent ease. Carlisle was undamaged by the assault and returned to his feet a half second after going down. The only casualty of this assault was Bella's shield. The attention she needed to give to evading these flying rocks distracted her from the job of projecting her shield around the other members of the group. Alice had an immediate response to the loss of Bella's protection. She seemingly awakened from her meditation with a look of panic on her face. The loss of a discernable picture of the near future was the impetus behind this expression. Even without this insight, Alice had no trouble ducking the flying rocks. Her visual acuity and inhumanly fast reflexes were more than sufficient for the task. All others of her group were equally successful in this, except for Edward.

The absence of Bella's shield had an immediate effect on Edward as well, but far less obviously so. The sudden disappearance of the twenty-six minds he was trying to seize, confused him at first. By the time that he noted in the minds of his coven and the Volturi, that the Vampire Hive was no longer visible to them, it was too late to save him from the rock that hammered square into his chest, knocking him to the ground.

"Bella, extend your shield," Jasper called out to her.

Bella quickly pushed her shield back out, without thought to Jasper's prodding.

Uninjured by the impact, Edward quickly reawakened to the real world and got up on his feet just in time to see the hive vampires become visible again.

"We have to protect Bella," Jasper hollered out.

The family and the Volturi tightened their circle around Bella and began swatting the stone projectiles out of the air. This tactic did not go unnoticed by the Vampire Hive. The center of this circle of uninvited vampires suddenly became of prime interest to them. They elevated themselves to a full fifteen feet off the ground and began raising stones up to their new height. Within a pair of seconds of doing this, the hive vampires began hurling their stones down at the female vampire in the middle of their group.

"They're going after Bella," Edward yelled out after picking this thought from out of the heads of the hive vampires.

A thought came to Carlisle to flee and make their escape, but he knew Bella could not maintain her shield about them and run at the same time. He feared that his family would be at the mercy of these invisible flying vampires without Bella's shield to illuminate them.

"Bella...!" Alice screamed as she swung around in a desperate attempt to protect her. "Look out!"

A dozen rocks flew in towards Bella, almost simultaneously. All but one was successfully deflected from its target. Bella went down with a blow to the side of her head. Bella's shield fell away with her. The Olympic and Volturi vampires were instantly startled at the sight of their assailants disappearing before their eyes. The Vampire Hive saw an opportunity and wasted no time exploiting it. The instant Edward spun around to gather Bella back up on her feet, an invisible vampire hammered his way through Bella's circle of defenders and rammed her down again. The invisible vampire became visible upon impact. Even as Edward threw himself on Bella's attacker, a second hive vampire followed by a third and then a fourth rammed through. The entire Cullen family instantly turned inward to Bella's defense. Seven more invisible vampires flew into the battle, followed in turn by Alec, Efren and Gerard. A pair of seconds later, the Olympic and Volturi Covens were engulfed in a fight for their vampire lives, and the battle was clearly not going their way.

Jane hesitated just long enough to focus her pain delivery stare. Suddenly one hive vampire doubled over in pain, followed by a second, a third and then a fourth. The sudden loss of four assailants relieved some of the pressure of the battle from off the two companion covens, but this relief was short lived. An invisible vampire flew in from behind and slammed Jane to the ground. Despite the impact Jane survived well enough to put up a fight. No sooner had she rolled over to cast her eyes on her assailant did he crumple up into a fetal position from the pain of her stare, but his agony was cut short. A second invisible vampire hammered into Jane just as she started to get up. The pair of them tumbled to the ground. This hive vampire was quickly joined by a second and then a third member of his company.

Each time Jane managed to disable one of her attackers, two more would replace him or her. The hive vampires who were wrestling with one of Jane's companions began abandoning that fight only to direct their wrath at her. Jane found it impossible to stay on her feet. She knew that the only thing that was keeping her alive was her preternatural ability for inflicting pain. All her efforts at this time were steered to protecting her conscious mind. She knew the instant she lost her ability to inflict pain she would lose her life as well.

"Jane!" Efren called out as he fought his way free to come to her aid.

Alec followed Efren to the fight raging about his sister. Gerard followed behind him an instant later. Thirty seconds after the first assault, the fight between the two opposing groups of vampires had evolved into two separate battles. The hive vampires were focusing their efforts on two specific vampires, and first among the two was Jane.

Every few seconds another hive vampire would join in the fight to behead the tiny little vampire with the excruciatingly painful stare. Carlisle, Esme, Bella and Edward switched to the fight that was growing around Jane. She was by then commanding the bulk of the attention of the hive vampires. After another ten seconds, Jane's painful stare was gone. She had become all but unconscious from the repeated assault against her. Her very life was in the hands of her defenders.

Carlisle could not help but believe that the battle was lost. He desperately did not want to leave anyone behind. However, in his mind he knew that the only way for any portion of them to survive was by abandoning this fight in a dozen different directions and leaving each to meet their fate on their own. He understood that the link between the hive vampires had a limited range and that their collective invisibility and flying was the inherent capability of only two of their number. He knew from experience that separating the hive members would break this link. However, he suspected that some among his family would likely be killed by this tactic and he feared all would be killed if not tried. This was a thought that he hated knowing he was now entertaining.

Suddenly the battle began to shift again. Alec's, Carlisle's, Esme's, Bella's, Edward's and Efren's valiant defense of Jane had saved her from decapitation for another ten seconds. This was just enough time for the single-minded hive vampires to begin to lose interest in her, in favor of a formidable opponent. No longer threatened by Jane's presence, the hive vampires began to shift back to the other fight. Instantly, Carlisle knew he had found the chink in their armor. Their tendency towards single minded thinking was the Achilles heel he was looking for. With a thought he issued instructions to Edward, before turning to the defense of his son, Emmett.

Emmett was waging a battle that no six of the hive vampires could contain. During the course of this minute long fight he had beheaded two of the pesky, invisible, flying vampires, both within the past ten seconds. The sudden loss of two of their number is what drew the bulk of the vampire hive to him. This shift in their attention prompted Esme and Gerard to follow Carlisle to that fight. Another ten seconds later the entire Vampire Hive was pushing in towards the big vampire who defied all efforts to be brought down off his feet. The Vampire Hive came at Emmett with near total disregard for his bulwark of defenders.

"Help Emmett," Edward called out to Alec and Efren, as he grasped Bella and Jane about their wrists and pulled them away from the fight.

"Do it!" Edward yelled again in response to their hesitation.

Alec and Efren hesitated a second longer and then turned into the battle behind them. Bella tried to follow their lead but was held fast by Edward's grip.

"Let go," Bella loudly complained.

"No, stay here," Edward yelled back as he pulled a groggy Jane to her feet.

"Edward, let go of me," Bella vehemently complained again as she tugged against his grip. "We have to help Emmett.

"Bella," Edward yelled back as he yanked her attention onto him. “Project your shield around us. Do it now."

Bella took a second to stare into the eyes of her mate and then complied with his instruction. She could tell from the way he was acting that he was speaking of himself and Jane. A second later she pushed her shield about them both and waited for whatever was to happen next. To her surprise, Edward immediately closed his eyes and went into his meditative state.

Jane's focus had all but returned when she noted that the fight with the hive vampires was still being waged not more than ten yards in front of her. Almost within that same instant she noted that Edward had her gripped tightly about the wrist. She was an instant away from commanding him to release her when she perceived Edward's mind in her head. The sensation was so startling that she shuddered, and then she froze. Within a fraction of a second, seemingly a whole minute in her mind, Jane comprehended the plan that Carlisle had given to Edward. There were no words passed between them. Edward's thinking was suddenly in her head as if it had always been there. Within that same moment she became cognizant of all that Edward perceived. The minds of every thinking being, within a two-mile radius, were echoing within his, and now her, head. A second after that, Jane went on the offensive.

The vampire hive had forgotten about Jane. Their fight with Emmett had focused their collective intellect to the point that all who were not a part of it were essentially invisible to them. When the first of their number doubled over in pain, their focus turned back to Jane. A fraction of a second later three members of the vampire hive thought to launch themselves at Jane. Half a second later all three were on the ground in pain. Six more of the hive vampires looked to peel away from their fight with Emmett and go after Jane. Again, she dispatched her would be attackers to the ground in rapid succession. Even as she did this, the first three were preparing to renew their attacks while another ten went airborne and prepared to launch rocks at her. With a look of indifference, Jane stared straight ahead and crippled each planned assault, one after the other, within microseconds of each other.

Carlisle's plan was to upgrade Jane's ability for inflicting pain with Edward's gift for knowing all that was going on about him and to shield them both behind Bella. It was a plan that was working flawlessly. Jane no longer needed to focus her stare to inflict pain on an opponent. She needed only to focus her attention on the mind floating about in her head and this she could do in a millisecond. A half a dozen seconds later the entire Vampire Hive was struggling to get their hands onto Jane. Intermittently, most of them became victims of her gift of pain at least once, half of them at least twice. Those that escaped this fate did so only because one of Jane's companions had gotten to them first.

No longer encumbered by superior numbers, the Olympic and Volturi Covens, minus Bella, Edward and Jane, lashed into the Vampire Hive with savage efficiency. There was no time to debate what should or should not be done. There was no such thing as a vampire prison. All there knew that there was only one penalty that was enforceable among their kind. Despite the aversion to killing by some within the Cullen family, all among them knew that this hive would continue to grow if allowed to do so. Their fight to the death saved the Olympic and Volturi Covens from the displeasure of administering summary execution.

Once the battle was over, the two companion covens went about the task of gathering the remains of the Vampire Hive into a pile. When the last of them was stacked there, Alec set them all ablaze. They all stood there for a moment and silently watched them burn. After a few seconds into this revelry Carlisle pondered out a thought.

"I only counted twenty-five bodies."

"Yes," Alec agreed without concern. "I counted twenty-five as well."

"I counted twenty-five as well," Jasper agreed. "They're all there."

"But wasn't there twenty-six of them?" Carlisle pondered out hesitantly.

There was no immediate response to this question. All among them began to ruminate about the number. Shortly Bella spoke up knowingly.

"There were twenty-six of them."

Within a few seconds of Bella's confirmation, they were all in agreement, despite their puzzled expressions. None of them could understand why they forgot the last hive vampire. They immediately began to look for the missing twenty-sixth member of the hive. After a half hour of looking they all came to the agreement that he or she had gotten away and decided to abandon the search.

Ambrose watched them leave from three miles away and breathed a metaphorical sigh of relief once they had left.

**_~~~~~_ ** _line break **~~~~~**_

Don awakened to the sun peaking over the top of the mountain across from him, the rays of light it created streaked through the spaces between the trees and limbs to the east and beamed directly into his eyes. The glare was partially blinding. Pushing himself up onto his left elbow, he turned his head and his eyes down as he attempted to focus. He then brought his right hand up to his face to shield his vision from the light. A few of seconds later, his focus and his wits cleared. He noted that the campfire was nothing more than a smoldering pile of embers and Biggs was asleep on the ground not far off to its left. He quickly looked over his right shoulder and was relieved to see that Darren and Robert were still securely bound and fast asleep. He lay back to relax for a moment and to gather his strength for the tirade he was about to unleash upon Biggs. Suddenly his moment was interrupted by a voice five yards distant from him, across the smoldering campfire.

"Good morning," Charlie announced as he stood in the shadow of a tree with his back braced against it.

Don quickly scrambled to acquire his gun, but he could not find it anywhere.

"It's not there," Charlie announced blandly.

Charlie was holding his doubled-barrel, over and under shotgun cradled across his left arm and grasped at the grip with his right hand. Biggs began to slowly stir to consciousness as did Darren and Robert at a much quicker pace. The two Judges rolled themselves onto their shoulders and stared at Charlie with hopeful surprise.

"What's going on?" Biggs mumbled as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

An instant later, Don threw off the covering of his sleeping bag and scrambled to get his feet under him. Charlie checked his movement by quickly aiming his shotgun at him.

"Don't move. You're fine right where you are," Charlie instructed with a direct tone of voice.

Biggs suddenly began to comprehend what was happening and began searching about him for his weapon.

"You too," Charlie reiterated with a sudden shift of his aim at Biggs.

Don and Biggs grudgingly settled back into their sitting positions on the ground. Their attentions were intensely focused on Charlie and his weapon. As soon as they did, Charlie re-cradled his shotgun across his left arm.

"I'm guessing that you're the two boys who recently checked themselves out of the Clallam Bay Corrections Center," Charlie pleasantly annunciated.

Don and Biggs said nothing during Charlie's pause. They continued to study him with fixed stares.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Charlie continued with a pleasant demeanor. "I want you boys to know that a lot of people have been looking for you. My name is Charlie Swan, Formerly Chief Swan of the Forks Police Department, and I'm going to be your escort home."

Charlie directed his shotgun straight up into the air with his right hand as he reached into his jacket pocket with his left. He quickly produced a pair of handcuffs tossed them into Don's lap. He then retrieved a second pair and tossed them into Biggs' lap.

"I think you boys know how those work," Charlie continued with a pleasing tone as he re-cradled his shotgun into the crook of his arm. "I want you to rollover on your stomachs and attach those bracelets behind your backs."

Neither Don nor Biggs moved in response to this. Don continued to study Charlie with smoldering contempt. Biggs was studying him as well, with anxious dread. Charlie looked back and forth at each man for several seconds before electing to speak again.

"You know, most people consider this line of work risky," Charlie rambled out politely. "Apprehending dangerous felons such as yourselves could easily be considered hazardous to your health, especially when you consider that you two boys were both armed when I found you. Under these circumstances, I'm sure you'll understand that if you give me any trouble, I will have to shoot you, dead, and then send someone back for your bodies, hopefully before the scavengers have gotten to you."

Don and Biggs pondered Charlie's instruction to cuff themselves a few seconds more before grudgingly rolling over on their stomachs and complying with his command.

"Good decision," Charlie passively reinforced as he leaned his shotgun down against the tree.

Charlie produced his sidearm from under his jacket and directed it at Don as he stepped closer to him.

"I suggest you boys don't twitch or make any sudden movements while I'm checking your bracelets," Charlie advised calmly. "This gun could go off and I wouldn't want either of you to get hurt."

Don and Biggs seethed with anger at Charlie's instruction, but they said nothing in response. Charlie reached down and secured the cuffs snuggly about their risks, one after the other. He then re-holstered his sidearm, produced a knife from his right jacket pocket and set himself to the task of cutting the two Judges free of their bonds.

"It looks like you two had quite an adventure," Charlie announced as he cut Robert's feet free.

"I am so glad to see you, Chief Swan," Robert declared with a huff of relief.

"That goes double for me," Darren quickly supported.

Charlie quickly cut Robert's hands free and then turned his attention to the ropes about Darren's legs.

"I can't thank you enough. I don't think they would have let us live through another day," Robert declared as he got up on his feet.

"That's okay, I was looking for these guys over there" Charlie responded with a nod towards Don and Biggs. "You two were just in the mix."

"Just the same, I'm sure we owe you our lives," Robert insisted.

Charlie removed the rope he had just cut from about Darren's legs and then helped him up on his feet. He then immediately began cutting his hands free.

"Who are you?" Charlie asked after cutting through the rope about Darren's wrist and pocketing his knife.

"I'm Judge Robert Michelson of the King County Superior Court," Robert cheerfully announced as he reached out and snatched Charlie's hand up into a shake.

Charlie was surprised by the title and hesitated to say anything as he comprehended this.

"And I'm Judge Darren Kaplan, also of the King County Superior Court," Darren declared as he retrieved Charlie's hand out from Robert's. "I don't think you can imagine just how relieved we are to see you."

"Well, I'm just glad that I was able to find these guys in time," Charlie fumbled out as Darren got in his last few shakes.

Charlie shortly got over his surprise and collected the group and their gear for a walk to the nearest Ranger Station. He called ahead on his satellite phone and advised them of his coming and of the group he was coming in with. The Forest Ranger on the other end was more than a little surprised by the call.


	21. Unexpected Endings

Gary Conley had been a Forest Ranger for the whole of his adult life. He had playfully entertained other ambitions during his preadolescent years, but he settled on Forest Ranger at the age of fifteen and never looked back. Now, at the age of thirty-six, he had been working his dream job for fourteen years. His only posting during the whole of this time was the Olympic National Park. It was this wilderness preserve that inspired this calling of his. As a former resident of Port Angeles, born and raised, Gary had been a frequent visitor to the park during his developing years.

In his capacity as a Forest Ranger, Gary had become aware of its regular visitors, especially those from the nearby communities. As the Chief of Police of the city of Forks and a regular visitor of the park, Charlie Swan was not only well known to all of the Forest Rangers posted there, he was also personal acquaintance of many of them. Gary Donley was one of these Forest Rangers with an ongoing friendship with the former Forks Chief of Police. This relationship went back almost twelve years and encompassed seven fishing trips and four Super Bowl parties together.

Being a friend of Charlie's, Gary was acutely aware of his recent removal as the Chief of Police of Forks. He contacted him on the first day that this news broke, offered his condolences and inquired into his future plans. What he gathered from this talk was that Charlie had no plans in place for his future and that he was secretly depressed over the loss of the position that was the pinnacle of his ambition. It was for this reason that Gary was surprised by the call he received from Charlie early Friday morning.

"Hi, Charlie, are you in the park today?" Gary inquired into the office phone.

Gary was surprised to hear Charlie calling in over the Ranger Station business line.

"Yeah, I think I'm about two or three miles southeast of your station," Charlie confirmed in an unsure tone of voice.

"How are the fish biting for you today?" Gary queried back with a frequently used offhanded question.

"I'm not fishing today," Charlie reported back directly. "Listen, Gary, I need you to contact the Sheriff's Office and tell them that you have in your custody the two fugitives that escaped from Clallam Bay Correctional a couple of days back."

"In my custody," Gary parroted back with a confused intonation.

"Yeah," Charlie responded in a slightly pleading voice. "I would appreciate it if you kept my name out of it."

"Is this a joke, Charlie," Gary inquired with a hint of a grin in his voice.

"No, Gary this is not a joke," Charlie admonished shortly. "I found them in the park and I'm walking them into your location as we speak."

"You found them in the park and you're walking them in?" Gary questioned back with no small portion of incredulity in his tone.

"I'm serious, Gary," Charlie reiterated forcefully. "I'm coming into your location with Donald Fowler and Larry Higgs. I also have a couple of Superior Court Judges with me, a Darren Kaplan and Robert Michelson. Fowler and Higgs took them as hostages yesterday."

Gary had been suspicious of this request from the beginning. In his mind it did not make sense for Charlie to be calling him and not contacting the Sheriff's Office directly. The last thing he wanted to do was make an official call for assistance to the Clallam County Sheriff's Office and have it turn out to be a mistake, or worse a joke. He was just about to insist to Charlie that he make the call himself when Charlie mentioned the Judges.

Gary had been contacted that morning by the Sheriff's Office to be on the lookout for the two Superior Court Judges that Charlie had just mentioned. The Sheriff's Office had advised the Park's management and forest service workers that these Judges had been reported missing by their wives and that they went there to fish. Charlie's report that he was coming in with these very same Judges gave his claim the weight it needed to spur him into motion.

"Okay, Charlie, I'll make the call. They'll be here when you arrive," Gary promised with an earnest that was, up until then, not present in his voice.

Immediately after hanging up the phone on Charlie, Gary called out to the Sheriff's Office and apprised them of the situation. After making that call, Gary made a call to Scott Rettig, a mutual friend of his and Charlie's, and a Forest Ranger himself. He gleefully reported to him all the particulars of Charlie's present situation. Scott in turn relayed this account to five of his friends, who relayed it to twelve of their friends, who in turn relayed it to thirty-three of theirs, and so on. This chain reaction continued for the tree hours it took Charlie to traverse the distance to the Ranger Station where Gary, five Sheriff Deputy Patrol cars, one TV News van, a dozen reporters and photographers and one News Helicopter was waiting for them.

Charlie had no desire for any personal attention regarding the capture of Don Fowler and Larry Higgs and he certainly was not expecting any. He was counting on Sheriff Harrison to do his best to minimize his involvement in the capture of the two fugitives and to maximize his own, and Charlie was completely okay with this. He was not looking forward to the task of explaining how he knew that the two convicts were in the park and how he managed to track them down. The sight of the News Helicopter, the TV News Van and the collection of reporters and photographers at the Ranger Station told him that it was a mistake to relay his call to the Sheriff's Office through Gary. At the time he thought it was a good idea given his last conversation with Sheriff Harrison.

The Sheriff Deputies and a couple of rangers tried to keep the press at bay as Charlie marched Don and Biggs onto the Ranger Station compound from three steps behind. Charlie rested his twin barreled, over and under, shotgun against his shoulder facing skyward. Judges Kaplan and Michelson trailed behind him. The instant they were in voice communication range of the press the questions started to fly.

"Chief Swan, did you catch them on your own?"

"Chief Swan, was anyone hurt?"

“Chief Swan, did they put up any resistance?"

"Chief Swan, are you working for the Sheriff's Office now?"

"Chief Swan, how did you know where to find them?"

"Chief Swan, does this mean you haven't retired from law enforcement?"

"Chief Swan, were you hired to track the fugitives down, and if so, by who?"

Charlie ignored the questions as he followed Don and Biggs, and two hands on Sheriff Deputies, across the compound and into the Ranger Station. Judges Kaplan and Michelson followed them into the station. Inside, the Sheriff's Office officially took possession of the convicts as well as a report on their capture. Charlie downplayed it as a calculated guess and a lucky turn of events. The judges did the opposite, referring to Charlie as heroic, courageous and a public servant of the highest caliber.

This was a position that they echoed to the reporters and the news crew that questioned them when they exited the Ranger Station.

"The loss of Chief Swan as a Law Enforcement Officer is a tragedy to the community he served," Judge Kaplan insisted in a fervent tone.

"I have no doubt that Chief Swan saved our lives today," Judge Michelson declared without hesitation.

Shortly after making these statements, the two Judges left the compound in the back seat of a Sheriff Deputy's Patrol Car. Charlie left for home in the same manner, but not before answering a few questions from the press.

"Chief Swan how is it that you found these two escaped convicts and the Sheriff Office didn't?" The first reporter asked.

"I just played a hunch and it turned out I was right," Charlie responded in a self-deprecating tone.

"Why didn't you contact the Sheriff's Office with this hunch or the Forks Police Department?" Another reporter questioned in a slightly accusing tone. "Was this a stunt to draw attention to you?"

"I did contact the Sheriff's Office and the Forks Police Department with my suspicion," Charlie sharply defended. "I was advised at the time that they thought this was unlikely based on the leads that they had."

"So, you just decided to go into the park and look for these convicts on your own?" The same reporter queried back with incredulity.

"I thought there was a chance that the leads they were pursuing were decoys and that the convicts were trying to hike across the park and off the peninsula. My concern was that if I were right then anyone these two convicts came across would likely be in mortal danger," Charlie answered defensively.

"So, you're saying that Sheriff Harrison should have listened to you?" Another reporter questioned.

"This was a long-shot," Charlie downplayed. "I just got lucky."

"Chief Swan, why did you do this?" Another reporter questioned before Charlie could climb into the passenger seat of a Sheriff Deputy's car. "I mean, you're not a Police Officer anymore, so why put yourself in harm's way?"

Charlie pondered the question for a second and then responded in a succinct manner.

"Old habits die hard."

Charlie then climbed into the patrol car and was immediately driven off for home.

**_~~~~~_ ** _line break **~~~~~**_

"Thank you for saving my family, Jane," Esme offered after walking over to confront the solitary little vampire.

"I wasn't...," Jane began to speak and quickly thought better of her response.

The Olympic and Volturi Covens were in the arrivals and departures concourse of the Ministro Pistarini International Airport, outside of Buenos Aires, waiting for separate flights. The members of the two covens stood apart from each other either alone or in twos and threes. It was mid-day, Friday, and the alliance of vampires was each safely concealed from the effect of the sun behind a layer of makeup.

"You're welcome," Jane shortly corrected herself in a timid voice.

Jane knew she had fond feelings for Esme Cullen. She was not the first person, let alone the first vampire to inspire feelings in her. What she did find unusual about Esme was the intensity of these feelings. For some reason that she could not comprehend, she could not bear to look at the lovely matriarch of the Cullen clan and not feel guilty for ever thinking of doing her harm. This shame was intensified by the fact that each time she looked into Esme's eyes she saw her affections returned in kind without hesitation or reservation. All her efforts to steel herself against this seemingly bewitching spell that Esme had cast upon her seemed to be faltering ever more with each passing hour.

Jane was unsure about how to be anyone's friend. The only people she recalled having any true affection for was her mother and Alec, her brother. Her mother was long dead and all but forgotten and her affinity for Alec was always something that only surfaced when she feared him to be in some danger. Only during these occasions did she give him any special thought. She had always been a spoiled and selfish person, even in her human form. Vindictive was also an adjective that was not misplaced upon her. The blood poisoning that had been inflicted upon her by Aro, Caius and Marcus intensified these traits on top of adding ruthlessness towards and the indiscriminate hatred for anyone these three did not like. Her association with them had denied her, for centuries, the pleasure that came with being able to love another being, and the practice she needed for acquiring and developing these affections from another being.

It had only been since the end of the blood poisoning that Jane began to note the capacity in her to have fond feelings for someone new. She promptly interpreted this growing sensation as a weakness that was sapping away her resolve. She spent nearly every day of the past three years fighting this perceived assault upon her own self-image. Twelve months ago, she began to become aware that she was losing the fight.

Efren's entry into Jane's world was unlike any she had experienced before that time. He and three companion vampires wandered into Volterra. Efren alone petitioned the Volturi for residency within their coven. Jane felt an immediate attachment to his angelic demeanor and treated him scornfully for making her feel so. Despite this behavior on her part, she relented to his request for admittance and silently chastised herself for being so weak.

It was boasted by some vampires who possessed the power to hold mortals and some immortals spellbound with their presence that this was the most formidable ability their kind could have. Jane had never been a prescriber to this position on the grounds that exceptional presence had varied degrees of effects upon each individual who came into contact with a vampire so endowed. She had met dozens of vampires, over the two years before Efren, that had this gift of extraordinary presence, by vampire standards, but none of them had the ability to sway her to give them any extreme regard. Efren was the first to radically alter her deference towards another being. He had what she considered an annoying gift for endearing others to him. It was a gift she both detested and envied, and subsequently detested even more. The presence of the lovely vampire made her begin to question what her ability said about her.

Over time Jane softened her treatment of Efren, even as she resisted her affinity for him. She tried to convince herself that time would undo the power he had over her and in doing so strengthen her resistance to other vampires with the gift of exceptional presence. She was determined to never be affected so powerfully by another vampire again. Esme undid this plan when she entered the common chamber of the Volturi Coven two days earlier.

In the airport arrivals and departures concourse, Esme stood before the little vampire who was trying so hard to hide her feelings from her. She was amused by her effort to remain impassive despite herself. After a brief time, she elected to ease her discomfort with an observation.

"Efren is very attractive."

Jane was taken aback by this statement. She immediately became suspicious about where Esme was going with this.

"I suppose," Jane responded cautiously.

Esme was amused by this reply and expressed it on her face for Jane to clearly see. Jane, in turn, became defensive and stiffened her resolve to be indifferent.

"You do know he's sweet on you?" Esme questioned with a broad smile.

"That's his problem," Jane snapped back with defiance.

Esme saddened her expression after hearing this response and Jane, in turn, became embarrassed from seeing it.

"Jane, having feelings for someone is not a sign of weakness," Esme softly lectured after a moment of thought.

"Isn't it?" Jane contradicted in a shaky voice. "Isn't that what you vampires with the overabundance of poise, bearing and charm do, seduce us lowly vampires into admiring and loving you."

"Oh, is that what we do?" Esme sarcastically questioned back with a smile.

"Yes, that's what you do," Jane insisted. "I see it. Even now Carlisle is casting his spell on my brother."

Carlisle's gift for garnering the admiration of others had been, from the beginning, gradually breaking down Alec's nature to rebel against his perceived authority. Esme looked to see Carlisle and Alec pleasantly engrossed in conversation.

"Having feelings for someone is not going to take away your free will," Esme implored.

"It won't?" Jane challenged back sternly.

"No," Esme confirmed with an earnest inflection. "I'm not trying to damage you. I'm just trying to embrace you."

"Don't you think I see that, but I'm not falling under anyone's spell," Jane continued in an agitated tone, "not yours and not Efren's."

"Being in love is not a spell, Jane," Esme gently explained. "It's an emotion and it can be a pleasant one if you give it a chance."

"It's an addiction," Jane corrected forcefully. "All I want to do; all I ever want to do when I'm around you or Efren is please you... to make you like me."

"Yes," Esme agreed with a smile. "That's what liking someone is all about."

"It's not fair," Jane insisted. "It's all one-sided. It's all your way."

"No, it's not," Esme responded with a confused expression. "Being in a relationship with someone should always be a two-way street."

"Should be, maybe," Jane argued back. "But you don't know who I am. You don't see the-me inside."

"And you think that by keeping me and Efren at a distance you can hide who you are from us?" Esme queried with a quizzical inflection.

"I'm not like you," Jane continued somberly. "You won't like what you see."

"What makes you so sure?" Esme pressed for an explanation.

Jane was reticent to answer the question. Shortly she overcame this and formulated a response that was in part a confession.

"Inside I'm not pretty, or elegant, or attractive," Jane expressed solemnly. "Inside I'm ugly. I'm a monster. I inflict pain. That's what I am. I don't know how to seduce someone into loving me."

Esme was slightly relieved to hear this profession and shook her head in disagreement as she took a step closer to Jane.

"Sweetie, you've got it all wrong," Esme whispered with a smile. "Being seductive doesn't make you pretty inside. Nobody falls in love with a monster and Efren is clearly in love with you."

Esme paused to give impact to her last remark.

"You're not ugly inside, Jane," Esme continued as before. "Someone who is ugly inside is incapable of falling in love and unless I missed my guess, you're in love with Efren." 

Esme paused to gauge the effect of her words. Jane was clearly pondering them. Esme took confidence from this and decided to add something more to her contemplation.

"Jane, I can see that relationships are new to you," Esme continued in a pleading tone. "So, I'm going to tell you a secret. You can't hide who you are. We see you, the-you inside. You've been casting spells too. That's why we're trying so hard to make you like us."

Jane was surprised near to the point of shock by these words. She stared speechless into face of the person who said them. Shortly, Esme backed away two steps.

"What you can do does not define you," Esme continued with a smile. "Give Efren a break. He's under your spell."

Jane's face brightened with astonishment at the sound of those words. Esme took pleasure at the sight of this and smiled even more for it. She took a moment to look contentedly upon her work and then turned and walked away. Esme came to a stop next to her son, Edward, who was also standing alone. She had just readied herself to share his silence when Edward broke it with a remark.

"You've been busy."

"What do you mean," Esme questioned with a grin.

"I mean, I think you've made a friend for life," Edward answered with a hint of sarcasm.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Esme queried in a tone that said she was pleased with herself.

"No, not at all, if that's what you want," Edward scoffed humorously.

"Yes, I do," Esme retorted with mock defiance.

Edward took this with a smile that came within a hair of being a grin. He then responded with a sly remark.

"Well, at least now I know what to get you for your birthday."

"And what's that?" Esme queried suspiciously.

"A pet rattlesnake..."

Esme turned and swatted her son on the shoulder as an admonishment and then they both began to laugh.

**_~~~~~_ ** _line break **~~~~~**_

Friday morning began for Renee and Nessie in an eerily familiar fashion. The absence of Charlie on a school day morning felt natural. Nessie nearly made the mistake of thinking he was at work. This was due in part because she was accustomed to him being there in the mornings and in part because she was distracted by her plans for that evening. She finally thought to inquire about him when she sat down at the kitchen island to devour the breakfast that Renee had prepared for her.

Nessie was at first alarmed to learn that Charlie had set off into the wilderness to track down two convicted felons. Her trepidation was eased somewhat, a few seconds later, when she learned that Jacob had gone out with him. She promptly assured Renee that Jacob would keep Charlie safe and then raced off for school repeating that promise, over and over, in her mind as she went. Her distress, however, was short lived, as was Renee's. Late that morning, the news of Charlie's capture of the two felons that recently escaped from Clallam Bay Corrections Center was rapidly spreading across Forks, Clallam County and most of Washington State. The students at Forks High School were particular excited by the news. Nessie could not go through an hour without at least a half dozen people asking her what she knew about Charlie's manhunt for the two felons. Nessie eagerly exploited these contacts to boast that Charlie knew the two convicts were in the park all along and to criticize Mayor Maxwell for replacing Charlie as Chief of Police.

Renee was also taking calls from friends and reporters regarding Charlie's exploits. She thanked the friends for their congratulations and politely deferred the reporters to Charlie with their questions regarding his adventure in the wilderness. This they tried a short time later. Charlie got home shortly after twelve noon and went straight to bed. He left Renee with instructions to turn all reporters away, which she did without fail.

At one-forty-five in the afternoon, Nessie raced back into the house and immediately began to prepare herself for the harvest dinner scheduled for that evening. She elected not to awaken Charlie from his sleep despite her desire to hear all the details of his adventure. Instead, she promptly jumped into the shower and started the process of preparing herself for that evening's event. Two and a half hours later, Nessie had completed her makeover. The instant she became convinced of this, she hurried downstairs to the kitchen to get Renee's approval of her efforts.

Renee was in the midst of preparing the evening meal and was at that time cleaning a recently used cookware for same when Nessie casually walked into the kitchen and displayed herself. Li'l Phil was in the middle of consuming that portion of his lunch that he managed to get into his mouth.

"What do you think?" Nessie queried Renee as she twirled once for her observation.

Nessie was attired in a thigh length, long-sleeved, charcoal gray knit tunic with split neckline, metallic embellished collar and opaque black tights. Her shoes were black leather, one and a quarter inch heeled pumps, with a toe cap and bow. Her hair was parted in the middle and cascaded down into wavy curls that came to an end nearly a foot below her shoulders. A pair of one inch, sterling silver, teardrop earrings dangled from each ear.

Renee gave Nessie a look with a near indifferent expression before turning her attention back to the pan she was scrubbing.

"Very nice," Renee responded as she intermittently looked and scrubbed. "A little dressy for the Harvest Dinner, don't you think?"

"No," Nessie quickly insisted defensively. "I'm going to be one of the hostesses. I should look nice."

Renee continued to look and scrub as she spoke.

"I think you could have accomplished that with a clean pair of jeans and a blouse."

"No," Nessie countered in a near pleading tone. "I want to look special."

"For anyone in particular," Renee queried suspiciously?

"Maybe," Nessie blushed with a smile.

Renee studied her granddaughter for a moment with a frown as Nessie turned about to admire herself.

"You know, if you had put that much effort into cooking, you could have made those pies yourself." Renee mildly reproved.

"I know, I know, Renee, but your pies are the best and I didn't want to disappoint anyone." Nessie quickly responded in both an excited and defensive tone of voice.

Renee rolled her eyes towards her granddaughter and then back to the pan she was at war with.

"So, I should be going now," Nessie announced cheerfully.

"Okay," Renee responded without looking. "You have fun."

"I will," Nessie gleefully promised as she turned for the kitchen exit.

A minute later Nessie returned to the kitchen attired in an attractive, black, wool overcoat and retrieved the four pies that Renee set aside for her in a basket on the kitchen counter.

"Tell Charlie that I'll see him when I get back," Nessie instructed Renee.

"I will," Renee agreed as she continued to scrub the pan in her hands.

"Bye," Nessie spoke as she turned away.

"Bye," Renee responded.

"Bye," Li'l Phil cheerfully echoed.

Li'l Phil was partially adorned with the food he was trying to eat. Nessie was consciously giving him a wide berth.

"Bye," Nessie responded to Li'l Phil with a wide smile.

Thirty seconds later Nessie was out the front door and two minutes after that she was driving down the road in Big Red. She arrived outside of the church where the Harvest Dinner was being held and quickly charged into the middle of it wearing a bright smile and projecting a happy demeanor. This was by no means a phony display. Nessie was in very high spirits. For a second time, earlier that day, she acquired Sean's assurance that he would attend the dinner and she was eager to show herself off to him.

"Hi Mrs. Guffrey," Nessie beckoned with a large smile.

The seventy-year-old grandmother was slightly surprised by the call from behind. While balancing a tray full of food, she carefully looked around to see who it was. She was instantly flattered to see that the attractive ward of Charlie Swan had noticed her. Up until then she had no idea that the young teenager knew her name.

"Oh, hi dear, how are you?" Mrs. Guffrey happily responded.

"I'm doing great," Nessie Eagerly responded as she hurried to Mrs. Guffrey's side.

Standing next to Mrs. Guffrey was Mr. Guffrey, of similar age, holding onto his own tray. He took no notice of Nessie as he craned his neck in search of a place to sit.

"How are you today, Mr. Guffrey," Nessie continued with a quick turn of her attention his way.

"Oh, uh hi," Mr. Guffrey answered back in confusion. "Okay I guess."

Mr. Guffrey had no idea who the pretty young lady was, and he was more than a little confused as to how she knew him.

"I think I see an opening at the table over there," Nessie reported with a point and a smile.

"Oh, thank you," Mr. Guffrey responded after a look.

"Thank you dear," Mrs. Guffrey sweetly added behind.

Mr. Guffrey was just about to set out for the table when Mrs. Guffrey spoke up again. He stopped to allow his wife to finish her thought.

"How are Charlie and Renee doing after all that excitement in the park?" Mrs. Guffrey inquired with a smile. "Will they be coming to the dinner?"

"Oh, they're fine," Nessie answered with a near grin. "When I left home, Charlie was sound asleep, and I don't believe they're going to make it this year."

"Oh, you're the young lady that Charlie's looking after," Mr. Guffrey interjected with sudden interest.

"Yes," Nessie reacted with nod and a smile.

"Tell Charlie I said well done," Mr. Guffrey insisted with a serious face. "Leland was a fool to replace him as Chief of Police. You tell him that for me."

"I will," Nessie agreed with a grin.

Mr. and Mrs. Guffrey then turned and set off for the table that Nessie had pointed out to them. Nessie set off, in turn, for the buffet table with her basket of pies. As she moved through the throng of people, she stopped repeatedly to greet and schmooze with numerous individuals. These were all people she normally would not have taken the time to notice, let alone speak to. On this evening, Nessie was different from any version of herself that she had ever publicly displayed. She flirted and palavered with anyone willing to entertain her banter.

Nessie put all but one of her four pies on display. She wanted to keep one in reserve for Sean when he came. The fourth pie she kept tucked away in the basket under the table where the other three were positioned above. Nessie had no great expectations from these pies. She simply did not want to lose the excuse for her dalliance with Sean. The pie was to be the means for their initial meeting. From there she planned to draw him into conversations about anything and everything that caught her fancy. She calculated that this would not be too risqué of a happenstance for the small community of Forks.

Nessie spent the next hour cheerfully serving food and clearing tables, much to the admiration of the elder women who were hosting this dinner as well. If they had any complaints at all regarding her it was that she often wasted time idly conversing with whoever returned her hospitality. This she often did while a nearby table remained unclean and a future occupant stood waiting. Nessie, however, always recovered from this, seemingly, lapse of judgment by whisking over to the table in question a short time later and clearing it while apologizing profusely to the waiting occupants. She often used these clumsy encounters as the mechanism to engage these new guests in conversation. She was not in the least bit put off by the fact that she did not know someone by name. She promptly hurdled this with an introduction and then used their unfamiliarity as an excuse to chatter on about herself. On this day this was excessively easy enough to do. Nearly everyone there was anxious for news about Charlie and Nessie was eager to please. On more than one occasion, Nessie agreed in her thoughts that Charlie could have not picked a better time to become a hero.

"Charlie said it was unfinished business and he just couldn't rest until he had closure," Nessie exclaimed with excitement.

"But why didn't he tell someone that they were in the park?" More than one diner questioned.

"He did," Nessie declared with a touch of theatrics. "He told everybody, but no one listened."

This subject of conversation went on repeatedly without a loss of interest or enthusiasm from Nessie.

Earlier that evening, Nessie declined an offer from Mrs. Hummel to fix a plate of food for herself. This was not part of her plan, at least not until Sean was in the room. She had every intention of sitting down at the table with him and had rehearsed in her mind exactly how she would maneuver this. Her scheme was to introduce Sean to whoever was conveniently available as the new math teacher at Forks High School and then offer herself as his dining companion. She knew that this plan was contingent upon him coming alone, which she suspected would likely be the case. However, she did devise an alternate plan, should he arrive with one or more other members of the High School faculty at his side. In the event of this situation, she would flirt with him from afar as she pranced about in front of him. The alternate was less than ideal, but she was prepared to take whatever she could get. A quarter after six Sean entered the church and took her by surprise with a completely unexpected circumstance.

Sean entered the dining area with a tall, five feet ten inches, exceptionally attractive woman by his side. Her hair was long and blonde and had only a modest indication of a wave in it as it fell a half foot below her shoulders. Her body was slender, not unlike the physique of a model. She was elegantly attired in a powder-gold, metallic floral patterned, knee length dress with a scoop neckline and a matching long-sleeved bolero jacket. Her shoes were a color match pumps with a two-and-a-half-inch covered heel and an almond-shape toe cap. A matching set of pearl earrings, necklace, and bracelet; set in sterling silver, were adorned to her earlobes, about her neck and her right wrist.

Nessie was stunned speechless at the sight of the statuesque blonde coiled about Sean's arm. For nearly thirty seconds she could do nothing but stare as the duo moved through the room towards the food line. A flare of anger swelled up in her as the tall blonde whispered into Sean's ear and giggled at his response. For the first time that evening, Nessie was not smiling. She watched, with near total disregard for anyone else in front of her, as they moved slowly up the food line. Her anger pooled with a growing fear that kept pace with their gradual approach towards her station. Nessie listened from a distance as they filled their plates from the selection of food down the table.

"Hi, aren't you the new math teacher at the High School," Mrs. Hummel inquired as Sean and Joyce stepped in front of her station.

"Yes, I am," Sean answered with a smile. "My name is Sean Bowden."

"Well, welcome to Forks," Mrs. Hummel cheerfully greeted.

A second later Mrs. Hummel turned her attention to the tall blonde.

"Are you Mrs. Bowden?"

"Oh no," Sean's companion quickly answered back. "I'm just visiting. This is strictly a long-distance relationship. My name is Joyce Pruett."

"Oh, that's too bad," Mrs. Hummel responded in a tone dripping with sorrow. "But couldn't you move to Forks? We have a very nice community here."

"Joyce has a bachelor’s degree in computer science, and a very nice job in Seattle to go along with it," Sean quickly reported.

"I'm afraid he's right," Joyce responded with a smile. "But I'm sure you'll being seeing lots of me now that Sean is here."

"Well I'm glad to hear that, you both look so very attractive together." Mrs. Hummel pleasantly responded.

"Well, thank you, Mrs. Hummel," Joyce responded with near to a grin on her face.

"Oh, Amanda, please," Mrs. Hummel quickly corrected. "What would you like?"

Sean and Joyce pondered over their choices of food as they intermittently bantered between themselves. Shortly they made their selections and moved down to the next station along the line. It was another two minutes later when Sean came face to face with Nessie.

"Hi," Nessie greeted in a near despondent tone.

"Hi, Nessie," Sean replied with an upbeat inflection.

"Nessie is one of my students at Forks High," Sean turned and reported to Joyce.

"Hi," Joyce spoke to Nessie with a pleasant smile.

"Hi," Nessie returned with a clearly sad inflection.

A pause lingered between them as each of them waited on another to speak. Nessie had no desire to say anything. She felt only a need to leave. She cast her eyes downward and all but prayed for this moment to pass. Three seconds into this awkward moment Sean broke the silence with a question.

"Did we miss your pie?" Sean queried as he looked about the table.

All the pies on the table had been eaten. There was only one pie left and it was in the basket below. The only desserts on the table were a pair of half-eaten cakes.

"Yes," Nessie quickly concurred. "The pies are all gone. Would you like a piece of cake?"

"Yes, I'll have a piece of cake," Sean quickly accepted.

"None for me," Joyce responded an instant behind.

Nessie quickly catered to Sean's request and sent him and Joyce on their way. Two minutes later she was out the front door. The fourth pie met its end in a dumpster in the church parking lot. One minute after that Nessie was steering Big Red towards home, crying as she went. She was completely unaware that Sean had recruited his childhood friend, Joyce, to help him deflect her affections.

**_~~~~~_ ** _line break **~~~~~**_

Thirty minutes after Nessie had left for the Harvest Dinner; Charlie awakened from his afternoon slumber and set himself in motion towards the smell of food. He groggily walked into the kitchen, stopped and yawned as he looked about. Renee met him there five seconds behind and went straight to the task of producing his evening meal. Li'l Phil followed Renee into the kitchen another thirty seconds later. He was thoroughly engrossed with the plastic toy truck that he was pushing around on the floor.

Charlie and Renee had little to say to each other. He inquired about her day. She in turn reported that she spent much of it listening to news reports about his activity in the park and taking phone calls from friends and reporters who were inquiring about same. Charlie displayed no interest in this, or at least not enough to compete with the food on his plate. Renee watched him eat as she sat at the island countertop and nursed a glass of white wine. She had virtually no interest in Charlie's adventure in the wilderness. She was far more concerned about his plans now that this escapade was over. She said nothing on the matter as Charlie ate his meal.

The instant Charlie consumed his last morsel of food; Renee collected his plate and eating utensils and began to rinse them off in the sink. Charlie lingered over the last couple of gulps of beer in his glass as she did.

"So, you think we're through with the freelance police work?" Renee casually questioned as she stacked Charlie's plate and eating utensils in the dishwasher.

"I reckon," Charlie answered off the cuff. "It's not like we have prison escapes around here all the time."

Renee gave his answer no notice as she activated the dishwasher. She then went back to her glass of wine at the kitchen island and retook her seat in front of it. She felt this was as good a time as any to discuss their future plans. It was her hope that the conclusion of this recent event had made him receptive to a serious discussion about where they were going from there. They both sat in silence for a little more than a minute, toying with their respective drinks. At the end of this time they were both distracted by the sound of a car rumbling to a stop in front of the house.

It was rather late in the evening to be receiving visitors and no one had called to say that they were coming over. Charlie and Renee guessed that it was likely Nessie returning home early. They were both surprised to hear the front doorbell ring a minute later.

"It's probably a reporter," Renee announced as she got up and set off for the front door, with Li'l Phil trailing behind.

Five seconds later Charlie followed Renee and Li'l Phil to the vestibule. Anticipating that the person at the front door was indeed a reporter he waited quietly, ten feet back from the entrance, and listened. Charlie had no desire to be interviewed by anyone. This aftermath of his adventure in the park was something he neither expected nor wanted.

"I'm sorry, Charlie is not giving interviews," Renee declared a second after opening the front door.

"We're not reporters," The large man standing next to the smaller one quickly assured. "My name is Walter Koontz and this Aaron Talbert."

"Hello," Aaron spoke up with a nod of his.

"We represent a group of businessmen and concerned citizens and we would very much like to speak with Chief Swan for a few minutes," Walter continued.

"I don't know," Renee responded in a confused tone. "I'll have to ask him if he wants to hear what you have to say."

"Please," Walter retorted quickly. "I'm sure he'll be interested in what we have to say."

Renee did not have to leave to inquire about Charlie's interest. She heard him come up from behind. She opened the door wide as soon as he was abreast of her.

"Chief Swan," Walter quickly greeted. "We apologize for disturbing you at this hour, but we have a rather urgent matter we would like to discuss with you."

Walter Koontz was a stout man who stood six feet two inches in height. Aaron Talbert was a slender five feet eight inches in height. Both men were attired in suits and ties and looked to be in their mid to late fifties in age. Charlie was very familiar with the names of the two gentlemen and became immediately intrigued when he heard them. He granted them entry and led them both into the living-room. Both men took seats in the sofa chairs there. Charlie set himself on the sofa in front of them. Renee quickly offered to provide refreshments ahead of their discussion. Both men declined as did Charlie.

"Won't you please join us," Walter suggested to Renee pleasantly.

"Me?" Renee queried in an astonished tone.

"Yes, this concerns you as well," Walter professed.

Confused a little by the suggestion that their business could somehow involve her, Renee hesitated to sit down. A second later she gathered Li'l Phil up in her arms and sat down on the sofa next to Charlie. She set Li'l Phil down between them.

Charlie had no idea what Walter and Aaron wanted and became all the more confused when they invited Renee to join them. Eager to find out what they wanted, he put a direct question to them both the instant Renee became settled.

"What's all this about?"

"Chief Swan, we would like your permission to add your name to the ballot for the office of Clallam County Sheriff," Walter responded with equivalent directness.

Charlie took a moment to ponder this request in stunned silence. Renee was equally surprised as she looked on in silence.

"Isn't it a little late to be adding new names to the ballot?" Charlie questioned in a dubious tone of voice.

"Normally you would be correct," Aaron excitedly jumped in. "At least from a campaign management perspective. But with this coup you pulled today, this is not a problem. That arrest you just made is a million dollars’ worth of free advertising."

Stunned, Charlie paused for a pair of seconds to look at the two men seated in front of him before speaking again.

"Wait, I thought you both were backing Mark Kemper," Charlie queried suspiciously.

"Now we want to back you," Walter retorted without hesitation.

Charlie ruffled his brow a little after hearing this and then responded to it with a stern delivery.

"Mark is my friend," Charlie expressed emphatically. "Even if I was interested in running for a public office, which I'm not, I wouldn't run against Mark."

Walter took a moment to give Charlie a smile and then casually responded to his assertion.

"Mark told us you would say that."

Charlie was surprised to hear that they had spoken to Mark about this. He looked from Walter to Aaron and back to Walter again with a shocked expression.

"Mark Kemper has already signed off on this," Walter advised pleasantly.

"You wouldn't be running against him," Aaron corrected. "You would be running in place of him."

"Well, maybe he has signed off on this, but I haven't," Charlie challenged back after several seconds of thought. "Mark is your man. He has the experience and the expertise for the job."

"I couldn't agree with you more," Walter responded without hesitation. "But we've tried twice already to get him elected ahead of Harrison and each time we lost, by significant margins. We believe, and so does Mark, that you're the candidate we need to kick that prima donna out of office."

"He believes," Charlie parroted with a surprised inflection.

"Chief Swan," Aaron spoke up with enthusiasm. "Mark Kemper is prepared to bow out of the race and give you his full endorsement."

"I don't believe it," Charlie responded with astonishment.

"Call him and ask," Walter casually challenged.

Charlie hesitated for a moment to gauge the sincerity in Walter's face.

Renee followed this conversation from Charlie's side with a perpetual look of astonishment.

"Why would he do that?" Charlie questioned in a puzzled voice.

"Mark's wife has been fighting an illness, off and on, for the past three years," Walter confessed solemnly. "Quite frankly, we had to talk Mark into putting his name on the ballot this year."

Charlie stopped to ponder this as Renee looked on with a blank expression. Shortly he began to shake his head back and forth a second before voicing his thoughts.

"I'm not a politician," Charlie professed sullenly. "I wouldn't know how to run for a political office."

"We don't want a politician," Walter quickly countered. "We've been trying to get that politician, Harrison out of that job for the past ten years."

"We have the machine in place," Aaron jumped in behind Walter. "You don't have to know how. That's our job. All we need from you is a commitment."

"You can't seriously believe that you can get me voted in as Sheriff of Clallam County," Charlie mumbled in disbelief.

"Chief Swan, have you ever heard the expression, strike when the iron is hot?" Aaron questioned with an amused expression. "Well, right now you're hot. You're white hot."

Charlie could think of nothing more to say. He looked to Walter with a nearly dazed expression and gave the only response he had left.

"I will need to hear it from Mark first."

Walter and Aaron were immediately ecstatic with that answer.

"That's good. That's fine, he's waiting for your call," Walter reported with a smile.

Charlie leaned back into the sofa and looked to Renee with a bewildered expression. She in turn looked to him with a smile. Renee was genuinely happy for him. She knew that this was exactly what Charlie needed to be continent again.

"There is one more thing we would like to speak to you both about," Aaron tossed out delicately.

"What's that?" Charlie questioned back.

"We understand that you two are not married," Aaron replied diplomatically.

"Ah yes, that's true," Renee responded with a hint of dread.

"We would need you to change that as soon as possible," Aaron declared in a mildly definitive tone.

"We can't do that," Renee reported with worry in her voice. "I'm already married."

"But he's no longer with you and hasn't been for the three years that you've been living here," Aaron retorted back. "Getting a divorce should not be a problem."

"I'm not divorcing Phil," Renee sternly countered.

A look of dejection came over Charlie as he shook his head back and forth. He knew where this was going and how it was likely to end.

"I'm sorry," Aaron responded with a confused inflection. "I just assumed that since you've been living with your ex ever since your husband disappeared that you would want to divorce him. Am I missing something?"

"I loved my husband," Renee answered defiantly. "And I won't divorce him."

Aaron was stunned by this response and looked to Charlie for clarification.

"Phil Dwyer is believed to be dead," Charlie reported softly. "But he won't be considered legally deceased for another three and a half years,"

"Oh," Aaron responded with an inflection of comprehension.

Aaron looked to Walter with a slight expression of surprise and then he turned back to Renee and Charlie with a "so what" look on his face.

"Well, there is a way to fast track this," Aaron began as if he was stating the obvious. "All we need is a friendly judge to declare Mr. Dwyer legally dead. That shouldn't be a problem. I would be happy to take care of that for you."

Surprised by this offer, Renee and Charlie crossed stares with stunned expressions as each deferred to the other for the reply.

THE END


End file.
